Dr. Medha Bisht

Dr. Medha Bisht is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of International Relations at South Asian University, New Delhi. Her research interests include philosophy and theory of International Relations, water governance and diplomacy at international, transboundary and local scales, transnational networks in International Relations (with special focus on water, climate and energy sector), Asian diplomatic thought and qualitative methods. Her book, ‘Kautilya’s Arthashastra: Philosophy of Strategy’ has been published by Routledge (London and New York 2020). Before joining SAU, she was an Associate Fellow at MP-IDSA, an independent think tank under the Ministry of Defence, and Research Associate with Institute for Social Studies Trust, an NGO with special consultative status with ECOSOC UN. She has also taught at Kumaon University, Uttarakhand. She has undertaken consultancies with UNIFEM, ICIMOD,UNDP, IUCN, OXFAM, DFID/Asia Foundation, University of Arizona. Dr Bisht also regularly delivers lectures in Sushma Swaraj Foreign Service Institute, Ministry of External Affairs on transboundary water issues and has participated in Track 2 and 1.5 dialogues on climate change. She is a member of regional and international working groups on transboundary rivers and climate change, and has lead and co-lead international projects on water governance and diplomacy with Dhaka University, IUCN, Uppsala University, WWF (P), Lahore. She writes for national dailies like Indian Express and the Pioneer, and alternative social media like The Wire and Live Encounters.