Research Centres

Centre for China Studies

The Centre for China Studies has been set up to build China Studies at Ashoka University as an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary area studies program with a strong commitment to disciplinary depth and language learning. Launched by a variety of capacity-building initiatives that enhance the study on China nationally, the Centre for China Studies is committed to becoming a leading institute on China-related research and collaboration across academic disciplines, and foster a greater understanding of China across academic, policy-making, and public audiences in India. The Ashoka Centre for China Studies (ACCS) is chaired by Ambassador Shivshankar Menon. Professor Srinath serves as the Faculty Advisor at the ACCS. The ACCS Faculty Committee comprises Professor Upinder Singh, Professor Ashwini Deshpande, and Professor Nayan Chanda. The Centre will set the academic research focus and strategy for China studies, develop coursework and degree programs, and facilitate educational exchanges for faculty and students, and through the creation of a hub at Ashoka support the development of China Studies across prominent institutions in India.

Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability

The Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability (3CS) at Ashoka University is established with the aim of facilitating interdisciplinary research and teaching about global climate change, health and environment, and launching awareness and educational initiatives. 3CS will focus on high-impact inter-disciplinary research projects, faculty-led courses on climate change, environment and health, and awareness and education initiatives using documentaries, seminars, conferences, blogs, and a 3CS podcast.

Centre for Economic Data and Analysis

The Economics Department of Ashoka University has set up the Centre for Economic Data and Analysis (CEDA) with the primary aim of facilitating informed debate about economic and social developments in India. To this end, CEDA has developed a public data repository along with a visualization toolkit that is accessible, searchable, interactive, and will be of use to researchers, journalists, policymakers, students, and others.

Centre for Interdisciplinary Archaeological Research

The Centre for Interdisciplinary Archaeological Research (CIAR), the first of its kind in India, aims to create a state-of-the-art facility that brings archaeology and the sciences together in order to offer new perspectives that will deepen the study of the Indian past. It aims to do this through interdisciplinary field-based projects led by Ashoka faculty and students along with off-site laboratory work. Simultaneously, it seeks to introduce a pedagogy that draws upon both the sciences and the humanities for teaching courses on traditional and modern archaeology that will help impart field knowledge of archaeological sites and diverse landscapes of India.

Centre for Social and Behaviour Change

Ashoka University Centre for Social and Behaviour Change (CSBC) is set up by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The vision of the Centre is to establish an institution in India that is globally reputed for thought leadership and excellence in impactful behaviour change interventions for poor and marginalized populations.

The Centre works in the areas of nutrition, sanitation, maternal health, family planning, and financial services. The Centre executes this vision through a mix of (i) behaviour change programmes, in partnership with the Government of India and non-government organizations (ii) foundational research to improve the field’s understanding of poor & marginalized communities, the channels to reach them and the content to engage them and (iii) capability building – bringing latest advances in behavioural science, design thinking, data science, & implementation science to design sharper interventions.

Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy (CSIP)

Established in 2016 and led by Ingrid Srinath, the Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy (CSIP) at Ashoka University is India’s first academic centre focused on enabling strategic and robust philanthropy for greater social impact. Through its research and knowledge products, convening and facilitation opportunities, and leadership development programmes, CSIP is cultivating a stronger civil society for a vibrant and equitable India.

We envision robust and resilient social impact leaders and institutions, recognised for their contribution to India’s economic, social, political, and cultural vitality. To realise this vision, CSIP focuses on four goals:

—Informing sector strategy and debate through credible, accessible data and knowledge products

—Facilitating development of coherence, norms, vision, voice, and collaboration by convening platforms and networks

—Raising sector ambition, sustainability, and talent availability through capacity and leadership development

—Enhancing sector credibility by driving evidence-based discourse, legitimacy, transparency, and accountability standards

Centre for Studies in Gender and Sexuality

The Centre for Studies in Gender and Sexuality (CSGS) was established at Ashoka University in 2015, and is one of the Centres of Excellence at the university. It is the first Centre of its kind in India to study the broader spectrum of questions relating to both gender and sexuality. This spectrum includes issues of inequality, fantasy, pleasure, identity, and politics that are key realities of our everyday lives.

Set in the interdisciplinary Liberal Arts context of Ashoka University, the Centre is committed to studying the many intersections at which we encounter these questions, in India and around the world, and address them through scholarship and activism. The Centre regularly offers summer internships to students and organizes several events on the Ashoka University campus, as well as in Delhi-NCR, such as a speaker series, student seminars, workshops, performances, and film screenings.

Science Policy Initiative

Ashoka University has recently set up a Science Policy Initiative (SPI) to complement the efforts of the University’s Faculty of Sciences and spur innovation as well as continuous learning into the knowledge ecosystem. SPI aims to promote data-driven research, policy work, and advocacy on India’s science, technology, and innovation space. With the broader agenda of contextualizing and reinforcing the efforts of the scientific community in India, the Policy Initiative acts as a knowledge hub, encouraging deliberations on issues related to science and technology. This policy initiative of the University strives to act as a resource body for the government and industry by conceptualizing and preparing high-quality evidence-based policy briefs, recommendation notes, background papers, presentations, and other targeted resources for meetings and conferences with key stakeholders from the government, academia, and the industry. Going forward, SPI will also aid the translation of science research and policy discussions into sound policies through persuasive advocacy and working with the government. Within a thriving culture for expression, research, practical support, and thought leadership, Ashoka University renders SPI the right environment for policy research and capability building.

Trivedi Centre for Political Data

The Trivedi Centre for Political Data aims at promoting data-driven research, policy work, and journalism on India’s political life by producing and disseminating in open access scientifically collected and treated political data. It also aims at improving the quality of existing public data by developing and providing access to web-based tools adapted to Indian data. It also aims at enhancing knowledge and understanding on political processes and dynamics by conducting research on the basis of the data collected, in partnership with individual scholars or academic institutions.