Soumya Chandra

Soumya is a public policy enthusiast who has several years of experience in the government and socio-economic sectors. She earned her undergraduate degree in Economics from Lady Shri Ram College (University of Delhi), and thereafter a Masters in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Currently, she is working as an Economic Officer at the Australian High Commission in New Delhi. Her focus areas are international trade, infrastructure, energy and resources.   Prior to this, Soumya worked as a consultant with the Planning Commission of India and assisted in the execution, evaluation and implementation of projects relating to development policy. She particularly worked on two flagship schemes of the Indian Government, namely the ‘Unique Identification Scheme’ introduced in 2012 and the ‘National Food Security Act, 2013.

Soumya has also assisted Mr. Tathagata Satpathy (Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha) in his legislative work, as a part of the LAMP Fellowship Program. She has researched on issues related to domestic politics, economic and trade policies, climate change and international diplomacy. She has been actively involved in youth development and empowerment and has led a number of awareness campaigns on sexual and reproductive health, use of contraception and maternal mortality. Her academic and professional experiences encouraged her to search for creative directions that would foster development on an international level.

Besides work, Soumya is a trained Bharatnatyam (Indian classical dance form) dancer, loves traveling and enjoys reading extensively.