Dr. Salam was Formerly atKing Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He is a Demographer (Ph.D.from the International Institute of Population Sciences, Mumbai, India) withthe backing of Psychology, having been trained at the United Nations InternationalInstitute on Ageing in Malta. Having experience in large-scale data analysiswith SPSS, social surveys, health program implementation statistics, researchproject execution, journalism, health publications, and health management, he hasestablished himself as a researcher, trainer, and educator with a specialinterest in Arab Demography and Gerontology. As an academician, analyst,writer, and researcher, he has authored 60 research papers, 6 book chapters, 16conference presentations, and 6 books. He has current academic interests inSocial and Analytical Demography, Population Ageing, Public Health statistics,and Health Management.

Dr. Javaid Iqbal Khan is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Kashmir, with over fifteen years of experience spanning teaching, empirical research, and policy-oriented consultancy, grounded in a PhD that examined labour market outcomes among Indian Muslims. His academic work is deeply interdisciplinary, encompassing applied microeconomics, development studies, institutional economics, and the regional economy of Jammu and Kashmir. Dr. Khan has published extensively in leading journals, including Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio); Studies in Economics and Econometrics (Taylor & Francis); International Journal of Educational Development (ELSEVIER); Journal of Quantitative. Economics (Springer); Journal of Health Management (Sage), and several Emerald publications such as the International Journal of Social Economics and the Journal of Financial Economic Policy, addressing pressing issues from poverty, inequality, and malnutrition to healthcare access, central bank independence, fiscal governance, and sustainable industrialization. Beyond journal articles, he has authored and edited multiple books, most notably Muslims in Indian Labour Market: Access and Opportunities (SAGE, 2019), Perspectives on Jammu and Kashmir Economy (Bookwell, 2017), and Critical Reflections and Explorations in Regional Development (Kalpaz Publications, 2018). In 2026, Routledge published Dr. Khan’s latest edited volume titled Politics, Governance, and Economy in Jammu and Kashmir. His academic work reflects his sustained engagement with the region's complex developmental trajectory. 

Through his research, Dr. Javaid has consistently bridged rigorous quantitative analysis with real-world policy relevance, a commitment further demonstrated through his consultancy work with the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India and various other government and non-governmental organizations across Jammu and Kashmir. Dr. Javaid Iqbal Khan has successfully led three major research projects from conception to completion, secured institutional funding, and guided six doctoral scholars to their PhD degrees, fostering a new generation of economic researchers. Collectively, Dr. Khan’s journey has been defined by a steadfast dedication to evidence-based inquiry, institutional capacity-building, and a nuanced understanding of developmental challenges, positioning him as an academic deeply invested in both scholarly excellence and tangible societal impact.

Dr. Kaur is an Associate Professor at Dr. S. S. Bhatnagar University Institute of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Panjab University, Chandigarh. With over two decades of teaching and research experience, she specializes in renewable energy, bioenergy, biomass-based microgrid systems, energy storage, and sustainable energy technologies. Her research focuses on developing innovative solutions for rural electrification, crop residue management and clean energy systems. Dr. Kaur has authored numerous publications in reputed international journals and has received recognition for her contributions, including a Wiley Top-Cited Article Award. She has delivered expert lectures at national and international forums and actively contributes to academic administration, research supervision, and policy-oriented initiatives. Her work is driven by a commitment to advancing sustainable energy solutions that support environmental conservation and rural development.

Dr. Garai teaches at the Department of Sociology, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh. With decades of teaching and research experience, Dr. Joydeb’s academic interests range from climate change adaptation and its policy implications, indigenous people and community development, disaster management, gender, development and sustainable livelihoods. Garai, has over the years worked on the adaptation procedure of indigenous people to climate change during the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Garai is a regular reviewer of high-quality national & international journals. Joydeb has published many works in different high-quality international journals. Dr. Garai has been a frequent contributor of his research findings at different national and international academic and public policy platforms and is open to collaboration at both national and global levels.

Dr.Jamal's academic and professional journey reflects a deep dedication to thefield of human biology, ecology and environment. Her expertise spans bothscientific research and pedagogy and successfully blends academia and socialactivism. Besides her more than two and a half of active social engagements,she presently teaches at the Government College, Malerkotla, Punjab. Inrecognition of her decades of excellence in teaching, she was conferred withthe Best Teacher Award from CT University in 2016. Her engagement in academicdiscourse is evident from a robust participation in national and internationalseminars and conferences. She has authored and co-edited books on maternalhealth and environments as also contributed to multiple peer-reviewed journalsparticularly focusing on preeclampsia, minority education, and climateawareness. Dr. Jamal truly exemplifies integration of research, education, andcommunity service in her life and career.

Professor Pankaj is a Professor and former Director at the Council for Social Development, New Delhi. His areas of interest and research are: law and political economy of development in India, with a focus on public policy,institutions of governance and development, and interface between democracy and development. He is a keen observer of rural society of India, and closely follows rural development and social welfare programmes, especially MGNREGA, NRLM, NSAP. He has conducted about two dozen sponsored field based studies on socio-economic developments, especially on employment, education and social sector development.

He has published seven books; five in English and two in Hindi. In English:‘Inclusive Development through Guaranteed Employment: India’s MGNREGA Experiences’ (Springer, 2023); (ed) ‘Right to Work and Rural India: Working of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)’,(Sage, 2012); (ed) ‘Subalternity, Exclusion and Social Change in India’,(Cambridge University Press, 2014); (ed) ‘Dalits, Subalternity and SocialChange in India’, (Routledge, 2018); and (ed) ‘Social Sector Development inNorth-east India’, (Sage, 2020). In Hindi: लोहिया के सपनों का भारत: भारतीय समाजवाद की रूपरेखा’ (Lohia Ke Sapno Ka Bharat: Bhartiya Samajwad Ki Ruprekha’), (Lokbharati Prakashan, 2024) and राममनोहर लोहिया: भारत की हिमालय नीति (‘Rammanohar Lohia: India’s Himalaya Policy’) (Lokbharati Prakashan, 2025). Apart from serving on editorial boards of professional journals, he has regularly contributed research articles and book review to professional journals.

Professor Jeong is a distinguished environmental sociologist andeducator with decades of experience in research, teaching and policy engagementon climate change and sustainable development. Currently, he is the Director,Asia Climate Change Education Centre, South Korea and Emeritus Professor,Environmental Sociology, Jeju National University.

Heholds Bachelors’ and Masters’ degrees in Sociology from Korea University andPhD in Environmental Sociology from The University of Queensland, Australia.Throughout his career he has served at important positions as Professor, JejuNational University, President, Asia-Pacific Sociological Association andVisiting Teaching Professor, the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom. Herepresented South Korea at the UNFCCC and OECD environmental meetings and hasbeen a member of the Presidential Commission on Sustainable Development. He hasmade substantial contributions in research and publications related toenvironment and climate change.

Forthe last 25 years, Professor Jayanti Dutta has been an integral part of theacademic ecosystem of Panjab University, Chandigarh. She is a Professor in theHuman Resource Development Centre. Originally with a background and training inbiological sciences, she traversed into the domain of professional developmentof educators in higher education by encouraging and training them intransformative pedagogical practices. She has experience working with more than5000 teachers and mentoring more than 100 professional development programmes. In25 years of her academic journey, she performed varied roles in teaching,research, academic administration, governance and activism. Herpublications, based on interdisciplinary exploration, move between research inareas of biology, higher education and public health, creative non-fiction,book criticism and science popularisation. Her research areas have been publichealth, higher education faculty training and science popularization. She hasbeen the recipient of a National Award for her film on Tuberculosis, conferredby the CSIR, New Delhi.

Academicaccomplishments of Professor Ghosh extend over decades of commitment toacademics with varied research interests. Presently, he is Senior Fellow at theInstitute of Social Sciences, New Delhi. After finishing his studies at JNU,New Delhi, he began his professional career at the Indian Council of SocialScience Research (ICSSR), New Delhi, where he served as the Research Directorfor several years and later joined as Professor of South Asian Studies at JNU.Apart from holding several visiting Professorial positions in India and abroad,he also served as a Senior Fellow at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, NewDelhi and ICSSR National Fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies andAnalyses, New Delhi. He was also a member of the Central Board of FilmCertification at its New Delhi chapter and a member of the international teamsthat observed the local provincial, parliamentary and presidential elections inSri Lanka during 1991–94 are a testimony to his versatility. A sound politicalanalyst in his own right, the opportunity of working at the South Asia Institute,Heidelberg University, Germany, as a Humboldt Fellow and a Ford VisitingScholar at the Centre for Arms Control, Disarmament and International Security(ACDIS), University of Illinois, USA, are among the major highlights of hiscareer.

Aneminent Economist, Professor Ghuman is Professor of Eminence at Guru Nanak DevUniversity, Amritsar and a Member of High-Powered Committee on Agrarian Reformsconstituted by Hon’ble Supreme Court of India. With an academic career spanningover 46 years, he fulfilled various roles and responsibilities throughout hisacademic career serving at many prestigious institutions including PunjabiUniversity, Patiala; Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development(CRRID), Chandigarh. He has also been the Chairman, Punjab Government Committeeon Minimum Support Price and Member State Advisory Committee of Punjab StateElectricity Regulatory Commission etc.

ProfessorGhuman has numerous publications and research projects in his areas of researchinterest on development economics, global economic issues, water resource,corporate social responsibility; socio-economic development in Rural India anddrug addiction and abuse in north-west India.

ShriKoirala is a specialist in Public Finance, Fiscal Federalism, Local EconomicDevelopment and Infrastructure Investment in Nepal. He holds an M.Phil. degreein Public Administration and an MBA from Tribhuvan University and courses onIntergovernmental Fiscal Relations and Decentralization (Hungary & Spain)and training in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Infrastructure Finance andClimate Change (Singapore & South Korea). With more than 24 years ofprofessional experience, he has been supporting policy reforms, involved ininstitutional strengthening, strategic partnerships and capacity building topromote effective decentralised and democratic governance system in his country.He contributed extensively to the study of local self-governance and fiscalfederalism during Nepal’s state restructuring and constitution-building process(2007–2015).

ShriPrabodh Kumar is a senior law enforcement professional with a career spanningover 36 years of service in the Indian Police Service. Beginning his career inthe Punjab cadre in 1988, he superannuated in January 2025 from the rank ofDirector General of Police, Punjab. Following superannuation, he continues tohead Punjab and Haryana High Court–monitored Special Investigation Team. Duringhis career, he headed police administration of multiple districts of Punjab,served as Director of the Punjab Bureau of Investigation and spent fourteenyears with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in senior leadershippositions.