Throughout July and August, we are delighted to welcome Visiting Policy Fellows Dr Jorge Sainz and Dr Aruna Sharma back to the University, as part of our Visiting Fellows and Visiting Policy Fellows schemes.

This week Dr Sainz joins us from Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, where he is currently an Associate Professor in the Applied Economics and Moral Philosophy Department.

Dr Sainz has more than ten years of management experience in public educational policy design and has served as an advisor to the Minister of Education of the Madrid Region, Deputy Director for Research, Chief of Staff of the Minister of Education of Spain, General Director for University Policy, and Secretary General of Universities of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport. Dr Sainz is also is a Chevalier of the French Republic Order of the Palmes Academiques, Commander of Spanish Royal Order of Alfonso X the Wise, and member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Jurisprudence and Legislation.

Next week, Dr Sharma returns to the University from the Government of India where she previously served as 1982 Batch Indian Administrative Service Officer for the Madhya Pradesh Cadre and as Secretary, Ministry of Steel, and Government of India until 2018.

Named “Data Champion” by the John F Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Dr Sharma has been a member of five member high level committees constituted by the Central Bank (RBI) for deepening of digital payments, and has developed a national scholarship portal, as well as common procurement softwares. She is also an independent director with a micro-finance SRO.

While at the IPR, Dr Sharma will continue her research on poverty as a multi-dimensional and complex debate across the globe - particularly in a world of digital divide. Using the SAMAGRA (common household data base) model, Dr Sharma will develop a digital data model for common household wise (comprising individuals) by capturing different diverse parameters, and enabling to extract entitlements to target Government interventions.