Associate Professor Udoy Saikia

Associate Professor Udoy Saikia is a Social Demographer with postgraduate degrees from London School of Economics,UK, International Institute for Population Sciences, India and PhD from Flinders University, Australia. He has a long interest in research related to population dynamics, human wellbeing and sustainable development. Associate Prof Saikia has successfully completed a number of international research projects in the Asia and the Pacific region which includes Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and India. He has published over 50 articles, chapters and letters in scholarly journals and books, or as refereed conference papers or reports. The wellbeing index which is the most innovative part of his research has been the core focus of a number of recent Human Development Reports published by the United Nations. Most recently in his role as the Lead Author and the Team Leader, Associate Prof Saikia has completed the research project leading to the production of the UN National Human Development Report, Timor-Leste 2018- a report which focuses on policy pathways to achieve demographic dividend. His research leadership in his area of expertise has been evident in a series of successful research collaborations, both at national and international level leading to receiving a total research grant of Australian $542,624.00 till date from several funding agencies. He has successfully supervised 9 PhD students (5 as Principal Supervisor) so far. He received Vice Chancellors Award for Excellence in teaching, 2011 and Citations for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning, 2012, Office of Learning and Teaching, Government of Australia. He served as the Vice President of Australian Population Association, the peak professional body of population research in Australia, for two consecutive terms (2011-1015).

I have knowledge, expertise and skills in both quantitative and qualitative research. Understanding population dynamics and how to measure their wellbeing at individual as well as household level is key to my research. In the last ten years I have, to my credit published over 50 publications, comprising peer reviewed papers based on original research, commissioned reports and book chapters and several conference papers on population and development issues. My most recent research project in my role as the Lead Author led to the production of the Timor-Leste National Human Development Report (NHDR) 2018, published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) consists of seven chapters. The €œwellbeing index €� which is the most innovative part of my recent research has been included in the form of a Chapter in the Hand book of Statistics, Integrated Population Biology and Modelling, Part A, Volume 39, 1st Edition under Section V: Human Inequality Measures and Well Being (web link).

I have developed my research identity, built around €œevidence-based policy research. I started this strongly with my collaboration with the UNDP, Papua New Guinea for research leading to the production of the Bougainville Human Development Report 2007. Since the completion of this research project my progress as a research leader in my area of expertise has been evident in a series of successful research collaborations, both at national and international level leading to receiving a total research grant of Australian $542,624.00 till date from several funding agencies.