Students
Ph.D Students
Pragya
Pragya's PhD focuses on operationalization of equity considerations in irrigation water distribution, which contributes to the EPIC project. Pragya's post-graduation is in Public Administration and her Bachelor's degree is in ECE from Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, Delhi.
Masters Students (ongoing)
Pranav Yadav
Pranav is a second year MPP student with an M.A. in Environmental Studies. He has been a summer intern (2025) at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) where he conducted field work to understand the uptake of the KUSUM scheme for solar powered pumps. His winter internship (2024) was with Pragmatix Research and Advisory Services. His Masters' thesis (2025-26) will focus on studying the implementation of 'Per drop more crop' component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojna (PMKSY) in Rajasthan. His thesis is supported by projects A4Store and EPIC.
Om Anand
Om's Masters' thesis focuses on exploring socio-hydrology of sand river systems. His interest area lies in studying water stress and community resilience in semi arid and arid regions. Om's expertise is in Remote Sensing and GIS. Om has a Masters degree in Environmental Studies from the Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, and a Bachelors degree in Geography from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College (University of Delhi).
Research Associates
Rahul Mishra
Rahul is a Project Scientist leading the Farm Pond Collaborative Initative. He has a keen interest in both natural and social sciences. Rahul's research focuses on agricultural water management and sustainability, examining these issues through the lens of human-nature-infrastructure interactions. His interdisciplinary approach integrates insights from science, policy, and practice, aiming to enhance sustainable development and social policy in the agriculture, water, and allied sectors. Rahul is particularly interested in understanding the complex dynamics between human activities, natural systems, and infrastructural developments in agricultural settings. Rahul has a M.Sc. in Water Policy and Governance from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, and a B.Tech in Civil Engineering from Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Gandhinagar.
Uzma Anjum
Uzma Anjum is a Project Scientist currently contributing to the EPIC Project. Her case study focuses on South Bihar, where she is examining the evolution and interaction between traditional community-based irrigation systems and individualized borewell and drip irrigation systems. She holds a Masters by Research in Sociology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and a B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. Her research interests lie at the intersection of water governance, irrigation, and gender, aiming to influence policies that promote equity and sustainability. Outside of research, she enjoys reading and rereading classic and literary fiction.
Nitin Sharma
Nitin is a Young Professional with experience in remote sensing and GIS, focusing on agricultural water management. He holds an MSc in Geology from IIT Kharagpur and a BSc in Geology from the University of Delhi. He is part of a team developing a system dynamics model to support decision-making on river rejuvenation under the National Mission for Clean Ganga. His work examines policy-relevant challenges at the agriculture-water interface using remote sensing and secondary data analysis. Prior to IIT-Delhi, he worked with the International Water Management Institute in Delhi as an intern and consultant. Outside of work, he enjoys travelling “as a local”, football and observing wildlife and birds.
Bhatta Ram
Bhatta Ram is a Project Scientist currently contributing to the A4STORE Project. His work focuses on Western Rajasthan, where he is examining the socio-political dynamics of water access along the Luni river basin. He holds an MSc in Water and Sustainable Development from IHE Delft, Netherlands, and a Master's degree in Water Policy and Governance from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. He was also a Mahatma Gandhi National Fellow (MGNF) at IIM Udaipur. His research interests lie at the intersection of water governance, traditional water management, and climate adaptation in the Thar Desert.
Graduated Students
Nripendra Singh
Nripendra graduated in 2024 with an MPP degree. His Masters' thesis (2023-24) was titled "Investigating disparities in MGNREGA's asset creation across Gram panchayats and Villages". In this work, Nripendra used qualitative methods to examine drivers for variation in the extent of MGNREGA asset creation within and across Gram Panchayat's in Bihar. Post his MPP, Narendra joined PRS Legislative Research for full-time work. Thesis Link
Vibhanshu Raj
Vibhanshu graduated in 2025 with an MPP degree. His Masters' thesis was titled "Analyzing Equity In Groundwater-Based Collective Irrigation Using the Justice Framework" which focused on analysing equity in irrigation water distribution within a farmer collective in Andhra Pradesh. His thesis contributed to the EPIC project. Thesis Link