For the fifth year, the IU India Gateway highlighted members of the IU community in celebration of Women’s History Month. This year, they showcased seven outstanding women faculty of Indian origin, whose research, teaching, and leadership are shaping the future. These scholars are making an impact in their fields and inspiring the next generation. To read the full profiles, visit the Women of the World LinkedIn Article.
Latha Ramchand
Latha Ramchand is the inaugural Chancellor of Indiana University Indianapolis. Prior to this role, Ramchand was the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost at the University of Missouri. She also held leadership positions at the University of Houston, including Dean of the C.T. Bauer College of Business from 2011 to 2018 and Associate Dean for Programs and Administration from 2008 to 2011.
Chancellor Ramchand is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and has been recognized for her leadership and scholarly contributions throughout her career. As an international and corporate finance expert, Ramchand has published extensively on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and leadership.
Chancellor Ramchand sees herself as a catalyst dedicated to helping others succeed. In the face of challenges, she relies on her resilience, responds strategically, and keeps her focus on the transformative impact her work has on students’ lives. One of her aspirations is to provide more support for students and families with financial planning for college.
Surekha Rao
Surekha Rao is a Professor of Economics at Indiana University Northwest. Before joining IU, she was a faculty member at the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, and Bengaluru, where she chaired the Economic Analysis Unit and held academic positions across Europe and the U.S.
Rao specializes in quantitative courses, including statistics for business, economics, and management. One of her notable achievements was introducing a graduate course on ‘Globalization and Economies in Transition’ in the early 2000s, well before globalization became a recognized concept in the region.
She is the President Emerita of the Indiana Academy of the Social Sciences and the Editor-in-Chief of its main publication, Midwest Social Sciences Journal. She received the IU Bicentennial Medal in 2021 for organizing a groundbreaking interdisciplinary conference that brought together experts from various fields to address key societal challenges in Indiana.
Radhika Parameswaran
Radhika Parameswaran, Herman B Wells (Class of 1950) Endowed Professor, is a faculty member in The Media School and held key leadership roles, including Chair of the Journalism Department and Associate Dean. Prior to academia, Parameswaran worked as a freelance journalist, contributing human-interest stories on the arts and education in the Indian national dailies
At IU, she teaches courses on gender and media, globalization, advertising, and media theories. Parameswaran has published more than 30 articles in academic journals and sixteen original book chapters. She received the International Communication Association’s Teresa Award for feminist scholarship and two Gretchen Kemp Awards for teaching. In 2021, she was inducted into the University of Iowa’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication Hall of Fame
Sumedha Gupta
Sumedha Gupta is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics, School of Liberal Arts, and Director of the IU Health Economics Consortium, Indiana University Indianapolis. She also holds positions as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, an Affiliate Scientist at the IU School of Medicine’s Center for Aging Research, and an Affiliate of the IU Center for Global Health Equity.
Gupta’s research focuses on health economics and aging, using advanced methods to tackle U.S. health policy issues. She studied Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), highlighting the cognitive benefits of post-retirement volunteering. She has published in top medical and health policy journals with features in over 1,500 media outlets. Her study in Health Affairs estimated that by May 2021, the U.S. COVID-19 vaccination campaign saved over 139,000 lives and generated up to $1.4 trillion in economic benefits.
Suparna Mukhopadhyay
Suparna Mukhopadhyay is currently a Senior Lecturer of Biology in the Department of Biology at Indiana University Southeast. She serves as the department’s pre-vet advisor, curator of zoological collections, and Chair of the Study Abroad and Global Awareness Faculty Senate Committee.
Mukhopadhyay’s accolades include the Faculty Innovator of the Year Award (2019), the Trustees Teaching Award (2019, 2023), and recognition as an IU Facet Member (Class of 2022) for her outstanding contributions to teaching and learning.
Suparna is a trained vocalist with multiple professional music albums, videos, and a YouTube channel.
Debolina Ghosh
Debolina Ghosh is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of Research and Evaluation at Indiana University Columbus and teaches Mental Health Counseling to graduate students. Prior to this, she was an Assistant Professor at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri.
Ghosh is passionate about mentoring future academics and contributing to the counseling community with various interventions. She is particularly interested in how AI will impact mental health counseling.
Ghosh’s contributions to the field of mental health counseling earned her the name ‘Researcher of the Year’ by the Florida Mental Health Counseling Association in both 2018 and 2019. In January 2024, Ghost received the Building Bridge Award from Indiana University, and the Outstanding Counselor Educator Award from the Indiana Counseling Association in October 2024. Her dedication to fostering inclusive and supportive communities was further recognized with the Building Community Award from Indiana University in January 2025.
Amrita Datta
Amrita Datta is an Assistant Professor of Visual Communication Design at the Herron School of Art+Design, Indiana University (IU) Indianapolis.
Datta fosters cross-cultural dialogue through her teaching and research, highlighting the essential role of design in integrating cultural perspectives in a global context. She challenges the notion that communication design is purely aesthetic, emphasizing its blend of creativity, problem-solving, and technical skills.
With experience in India, the Czech Republic, and the U.S., she has showcased her design vision globally and led educational programs in South Korea, Chile, and India. She also illustrated a children’s book, Strange Adventures: Seven Short Stories, and her research was published internationally Datta is currently pursuing a PhD in American Studies at Indiana University Indianapolis, after completing her M.A. in Visual Communication Design from Herron School of Art+Design.
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