Professor Debolina Kundu, has over 20 years of professional experience in the field of development studies. She has been a doctoral fellow with the ICSSR with a Ph.D from Jawaharlal Nehru University. She has worked as a consultant with ADB, LSE, IIDS, UNDP, UNESCAP, KfW, GIZ, Urban Institute, Washington etc. on issues of urban development, governance and exclusion.

She holds the HUDCO Chair at National Institute of Urban Affairs. She is also the Co-Investigator for the study on Sustainable, Healthy, Learning Cities and Neighbourhoods (India) funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund via UK Research and Innovation, which aims to build upon research knowledge in the UK, and strengthen capacity overseas, to help address challenges in the developing countries. Previously she was in-charge of Reform Appraisal of JNNURM and coordinated projects on Doing Business in Indian Cities, migration, housing and slums. She has also prepared socio-economic profiles of SMART and AMRUT mission cities for ADB.

She is the editor of the journal Environment and Urbanisation, Asia (SAGE) and has a large number of articles published in books and journals. Currently she is working on a book titled ‘Urbanisation in India: Trends and Patterns’ and editing books on national urban policies and internal migration in India. She is a member of the Fifth Delhi Finance Commission and member of various working groups and committees.