Dr. Sampriti Baruah is the Program Head – Sustainable Agriculture with the Food, Land and Water Program at WRI India. With over 15 years of experience in rural development, innovation, and sustainable agriculture, she has honed her expertise in interdisciplinary mixed-method research. This enables her to design, implement, and evaluate interventions addressing complex challenges in the agri-food system. She has also been instrumental in capacity-building initiatives, fostering knowledge exchange, and engaging stakeholders to promote the adoption and scaling of sustainable agricultural technologies and practices.

Before joining WRI India, Dr. Baruah served as a Regional Research Specialist at the International Potato Center (CIP), leading and coordinating agricultural research and innovation projects across Asia. Her previous roles include positions at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA), and Friends of Women’s World Banking (FWWB), India.

Dr. Baruah holds a Ph.D. in Development Studies from the College of Public Affairs, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), where she was a Lee Foundation Scholar. She also holds two postgraduate degrees: an M.A. in Social Development and Sustainable Livelihoods from the University of Reading, United Kingdom, as a recipient of the Annual Fund International Master’s Bursary, and an M.A. in Social Work (Social Welfare Administration) from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), India.