Upasana Garnaik is a Doctoral Candidate in Sociology at the University of Texas at Austin. She obtained a Master of Laws from Duke Law School in 2012 and subsequently has worked as a lawyer, researcher and academic in India.

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Her research and teaching interests include gender, family, economic sociology and the law. 

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Upasana's dissertation focuses on middle class women's experiences in family disputes in India when they make economic claims against their family. Using qualitative methods such as observations in courtrooms and mediation centers, in-depth interviews and archival research, Upasana uncovers familial and legal mechanisms which make it extremely difficult for women to access family wealth.

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Upasana's research has been supported by the American Sociological Association through a National Science Foundation grant, American Association for University Women, the P.E.O Foundation and the Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice.

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Access Upasana's CV here.

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