Dr. Rajesh Tandon is the Founder-President of Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) and Co-Chair of the UNESCO Chair in Community-Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education. An IIT Kanpur engineer, IIM Calcutta graduate, and Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University, he is an internationally recognized leader in participatory research and development. Dr. Tandon has significantly advanced community knowledge, civil society capacity building, and people-centered development across the global South. He has served on expert committees for the Government of India, UGC, UN and World Bank, and has authored extensive publications in governance, civic engagement, and social justice.