NCAER Professor and Director of the National Data Innovation Centre (NDIC) at NCAER, Sonalde Desai, who holds a joint appointment as a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland College Park, has been named as a Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). In a tradition dating back to 1874, election as an AAAS Fellow is a lifetime honour, as it recognises members whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications in service to society have distinguished them among their peers and colleagues. Professor Desai has been honoured for “distinguished contributions to the demography of South Asia, with particular attention to the impact of development on economic and gender inequalities.”

She was elected president of the Population Association of America for 2022 and has published extensively in Indian and international journals, and frequently contributes to Indian English-language newspapers. She leads the India Human Development Survey (IHDS), a unique public resource for Indian and international researchers interested in understanding India’s social and economic transformation over the past two decades.