Dr. Vandana Upadhyay is Professor of Economics at Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh, with over 25 years of teaching and research experience. A distinguished scholar, her research focuses on gender and human development, labour and employment, the informal economy, and the transformation of mountain economies. She has authored and co-edited several books, including Rethinking Economic Development in North East India (Routledge, 2017), and contributed extensively to Human Development Reports and policy studies for state and national institutions. A recipient of the Commonwealth Academic Staff Fellowship at the University of Oxford, Prof. Upadhyay has also led numerous projects sponsored by ICSSR, UGC, NCW, and the Planning Commission. She has guided many doctoral scholars, delivered invited lectures at national and international forums, and currently serves as Vice President of the Indian Society of Labour Economics. Her work continues to shape debates on inclusive growth and gender-sensitive development in India.