ProfessorSupriya Garikipati

Professor Supriya Garikipati’s research lies in the political economy of development with a sustained focus on gender, public policy, and inclusive innovation. Her work explores how development outcomes are shaped by intersectional inequities and social norms, particularly in relation to labour markets, reproductive health, and financial inclusion across India and sub-Saharan Africa.

Her approach combines feminist political economy with interdisciplinary methods, generating research that is empirically grounded and policy-relevant. Across her projects, she investigates how entrenched structures—such as patriarchy and digital exclusion—affect women's agency, livelihoods, and leadership, especially in rural and low-resource settings.

Current projects examine:

• The role of digital and agricultural innovations in enhancing productivity and empowering women farmers
• The intersection of WASH and reproductive health policies with gendered violence and medicalisation
• Digital exclusion and intergenerational inequality among families with children
• Gendered trajectories in entrepreneurship and labour markets via long term studies on microfinance and intra-household bargaining

Professor Garikipati’s research has been supported by leading funders including UKRI, SFI, the British Academy, DFID, Irish Aid, and the Nuffield Foundation. She has worked closely with partners such as NABARD, SERP, UNICEF, and WaterAid, and her research has contributed to national strategies in areas including menstrual health, rural financial innovation, and sustainable livelihoods.

Her work aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and is rooted in a commitment to impact-led research. She has developed and submitted multiple impact case studies for the UK Research Excellence Framework (REF), and continues to support public policy through advisory roles and collaborative practice.