PANCHALI SAIKIA
Padumoni Changkola Gaon, Post Office-Rahdhalla, Golaghat, Assam-785621, INDIA
MOBILE No.- +91-9717425338/+91-9891073350. Email: panchali7@gmail.com, p.saikia@cgiar.org
EDUCATION
FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF DELHI India
MA in Political Science. May. 2007 –July. 2009
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Modules: Contemporary Political Thought, Comparative Political Analysis, Politics in India, Theory of
International Relations, Western Political Thought, Administrative Theory, Themes in Indian Political
Thought, Research Methods in Social Science, Interpreting India, Theory and Practice of Democracy,
Modern Indian Political Thinkers, International Political Economy, Development Process and Politics
in India, Contemporary International Politics, Peace and Security
TWO YEARS POST GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN HUMAN RIGHTS, INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
HUMAN RIGHTS, NEW DELHI India. December 2008 Incomplete
HINDU COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OF DELHI India
BA (Hons.) Political Science July. 2004 – July. 2007
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Modules: Colonialism and Nationalism in India, An Introduction to Political Theory, Indian Political
Thought, Indian Government and Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations and Global
Politics, Traditions in Western Political Philosophy, Public Administration, India’s Foreign Policy,
Public Policy in India, The United Nations and Global Conflicts, Contemporary Political Economy
DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL NUMALIGARH, ASSAM India
Central Board of Secondary Education: April. 2002 – May. 2004
WORK EXPERIENCE
Scientific Officer, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), New Delhi, India. April 2014present
Research Project: Feminisation of agriculture and water management in the Ganges Basin: Impact on
adaptation to climate change and ways forward to build resilience
 Lead qualitative field research in Bihar and West Bengal
Research Project: Sustainable and resilient farming systems intensification in the eastern Gangetic Plains
(‘SRFSI’). This project is led by CIMMYT, and IWMI will be involved primarily in the baseline analysis of
water use and institutions.
 Coordinate household survey in two districts of West Bengal (Malda and Cooch Behar) and two of
Bihar (Madhubani and Purnea) on water use patterns and investment capacity.
 Document and analyse the data, taking the support of data entry assistant(s)
Research Project: Four Basin Gender Profiles Project
 Compilation of secondary data for the Ganges basin in the prescribed format: deadline 30 September
 List of key organisations and donors interested in gender and water/agriculture in the Ganges basin
 Document outlining research question(s) on a gender-related water/agriculture issue in the Ganges
basin for primary research
Project Scientist (Consultant), International Water Management Institute (IWMI), New Delhi, India.
April 2013- March 2014
Research Project: Assessment of the Impact of Anticipated External Drivers of Change on Water Resources in
the Ganges Basin; Study area: Ganges Dependent Areas of West Bengal and Bangladesh.
Visiting Scholar, Mekong Institute (MI), Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand. 15 August 201212 December 2012
Research Project: Experimenting the strategies and mechanisms of Greater Mekong Sub-region Economic
Program (GMS ECP) Model in South Asia; study area: Thai-Lao PDR, Thai-Vietnam border areas.
 Research & Analysis with focus on cross-border connectivity, grassroots level development activities,
economic migrations, livelihood aspects along the Thai-Lao PDR, Thai-Cambodia border areas.
 Research paper for MI Journal - Regional Development and Cooperation
 Mentoring MI young researchers
 Contributing research assistance to Mekong Development Program (MDP) department at MI
 Participating at MI activities, workshop
 Documenting and compiling MI program activities’ proceedings
Certificate of contribution to the learning programme on ‘Labor Migration Management in the Greater Mekong
Subregion’ organized by Asian Development Bank (ADB) in collaboration with the Mekong Institute(MI) and
International Organization for Migration(IOM) in Thailand.
Research Officer, Institute of Peace & Conflict Studies, New Delhi. India July 2010-August 2012
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Research & Analysis
Supervising the research work of the Southeast Asia Research Programme (SEARP) at the Institute
Write Commentaries, Special Reports and Issue Briefs for the Institute website www.ipcs.org, journals
and regional newspapers.
Write Conference Reports, most notable are
Identity and Asian Power: What does it mean for Regional Cooperation? for George Washington
University, Washington, DC, April 2011
Armed Conflicts in South Asia 2011, www.ipcs.org, April 2011
Fifth India-NATO Dialogue 2011, KAS(Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung) Policy Paper No. 10, August
2011
Perform the task of compiling & editing the SEARP Quarterly.
Perform the task of updating the SEARP News portal in www.ipcs.org July. 2010Jan.2012
Compiling and reviewing the Institute’s Monthly Reports Jul. 2010-Jan. 2012
Organizing Conferences and Seminars
Paper Presentation at national and international conferences, most notable are
Group Meeting on ‘The Security Impact of Climate Change in Bangladesh and its Regional
Neighborhood’ organized by Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS), Dhaka
Bangladesh. March 2011
International Conference on ‘'Mekong-Ganga Cooperation: Exploring India and Vietnam
economic relationship’ organized by Global India Foundation at the India International Centre,
Annexe, New Delhi. on February 2012
Consortium of South Asian Think Tanks (COSATT) Conference on ‘Building Bridges
Strengthening Physical, Emotional and Economic Linkages in South Asia organized by Institute
of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS)in collaboration with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) in
Kathmandu, Nepal. April 2012
Conference on India’s Look-East Policy and the North Eastern Region: Strengthening the
Continental Route” organized by The Indian Council of Social Science Research North Eastern
Regional Centre, Shillong & The North Eastern Council, Shillong at ICSSR-NERC, Shillong,
Meghalaya. March 2013
Project Assistant, Yuva..A movement (Non-Governmental Organization), New Delhi. India. July 2009March 2010
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Wrote Project Proposals & Reports
Documentation
Organized Workshops and Conferences
TECHNICAL TRAINING/WORKSHOPS
 Received full scholarship from Tufts University to attend Water Diplomacy Workshop organized
by faculty from Tufts University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University
in Boston, USA. 23rd June-27th June 2014.
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2 days International Workshop on ‘Moving from Water Problems to Water Solutions: Research
Needs Assessment for the Eastern Gangetic Plains’, organized by the International Water
Management Institute (IWMI), New Delhi. NASC Complex, Pusa, New Delhi. May 2013
7 days Training Workshop on ‘Labor Migration Management in the Greater Mekong Subregion’
organized by Asian Development Bank (ADB) in collaboration with the Mekong Institute(MI) and
International Organization for Migration(IOM) in Thailand. November 2012
EXTRA-CURRICULARS AND POSITIONS OF RESPONSIBILITY
 Joint Secretary, Department of Political Science, Hindu College, University of Delhi, September
2004-September 2005
VOLUNTEER WORK
 Volunteer: “Train the Trainers” program of Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, for
Jawans of Central Paramilitary Forces organized by “Yuva…A movement”, in collaboration with
Kaivalyadham Scientific Yoga Institute, Lonavala, Pune at Najafgarh CRPF Camp, Delhi, India.
2009
 Volunteer: School Community Service, planned and conducted Crafts Workshop for handicapped
students, Numaligrah Village, Golaghat, Assam, India. 2003
LANGUAGE
Language
Assamese
Level of Proficiency (Mother tongue, Excellent, good, fair, poor)
Speaking
Reading/Understanding Writing
Mother tongue
Mother tongue
Mother tongue
English
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Hindi
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Bengali
Good
Good
Fair
PUBLICATIONS
PAPERS
(Paper Under Review/Unpublished Research Works)
 Saikia, Panchali. Sharma, Bharat. 2014. Indo-Bangladesh Trans-boundary Water Interaction over the
Ganges: From Water Sharing to Collective Water Management Approach. (Under review) submitted to
the International Water Management Institute, New Delhi. January 2014
 Saikia, Panchali. 2013. Embracing India’s Northeast in BIMSTEC: Experimenting the GMS ECP model.
(Under review) submitted to the Indian Council of Social Science Research-North Eastern Regional
Centre (ICSSR-NERC).October 2013
BOOK REVIEWS/NEWSPAPER & JOURNAL ARTICLES/COMMENTARIES
 Gender and Water Management, (Review of the book Women Water Professionals: Inspiring stories
from South Asia, Edited by Sumi Krishna & Arpita De). The Book Review Journal, New Delhi, India.
Vol. XXXVIII No. 2.pp.268
 20th summit goes off on a tangent, Tehelka, 5 April 2012.
 Separating Fact from Fiction, (co-authored with Ruhee Neog), The Assam Tribune, 04 February 2012
 The Thai: Cambodian Border Dispute: From Friction to Fire’, Mainstream, 25 June 2011.
 The Dispute over Preah Vihear: Seen Problems, Unseen Stakes, August 2012
 Polarised ASEAN: Highlighting the Factions, 31 July 2012
 Thailand: Street Protests and Fresh Political Turmoil, 9 July 2012
 Myanmarese Refugees in Thailand: Implications of Suu Kyi’s Visit, 20 June 2012
 Connecting South Asia: Experimenting with the Greater Mekong Sub-Regional Model, April 2012
 Bangladesh on the Tipaimukh Dam: A Print Media Analysis, 30 January 2012
 The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit: Opportunities for the New Decade, 31 December 2011
 Myanmar: Rohingya Refugees and Thailand’s ‘Push-Back’, 30 December 2011.
 Thailand: Tribulations of Migrant workers,8 December 2011.
 Impediments to Yingluck’s New Approach for Southern Thailand, 21 October 2011.
 Linking India’s Northeast with Southeast Asia: Significance of Internal Connectivity & Backward
Integration October 2011.
 Stuck in No Man’s Land: Thailand’s Repatriation of Myanmarese Refugees, 20 June 2011.
 Indonesia as ASEAN Chair: What Priorities?, 21 April 2011.
 South China Sea Disputes: Flawed Negotiations, 30 March 2011.
 The Mekong Sub-region: Emerging Challenges and New Dynamics, 19 February 2011.
 China’s Longjiang Dam: Concerns for Myanmar, 10 January 2011.
 Myanmar Elections 2010 – III: ASEAN’s Ambivalence, 3 November 2010.
 Manmohan Singh in Southeast Asia, 27 October 2010.