PhD in Development Studies on Agroforestry in Tribal India Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in

Amrita School of Social and Behavioural Sciences at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kerala, India is inviting applications for one full-time PhD position in Development Studies focused on transforming agroforestry in tribal India. The project examines why tree survival and agroforestry outcomes vary across villages in Odisha’s tribal regions, with a specific focus on the WADI programme and its impacts on livelihoods, climate resilience, and rural development.

The PhD will be supervised by Associate Professor Victoria Ustenko. The research combines quantitative social science with field engagement, aiming to identify the drivers of agroforestry success and co-design practical interventions with farming communities and programme partners. The post also highlights an emerging international collaboration with Tel Aviv University and support from NABARD.

Eligibility: Applicants should hold a Master’s degree in Economics, Development Studies, or a quantitative social science discipline. Strong analytical skills are required, and experience with R, Stata, or Python is specifically mentioned. The project is suitable for candidates interested in development economics, rural livelihoods, agroforestry, climate resilience, and evidence-based intervention design.

Funding: The post states that this is a full-time position, but it does not specify stipend amount, tuition coverage, or other financial details.

How to apply: Applications must be submitted through Amrita’s PhD Admissions 2026 portal. The portal notes that applicants should register, complete personal information, pay the application fee, and upload documents. International candidates are directed to the international admissions portal. For enquiries, contact [email protected].

Useful links: the doctoral admissions portal and the research-topics page are provided in the post. No deadline is stated in the content.