MIS Graduate Student Award Recipient Saumitra Sinha
Saumitra Sinha, who graduated with his PhD from the Department of City and Regional Planning in May 2024, received one of two MIS Graduate Student Conference Travel Awards in Fall 2023. Saumitra used the award to attend the Urban Affairs Association conference in New York City in April 2024. There, he presented a paper titled, “Eliciting People’s Views on the Fairness of Alternative Municipal Water Subsidy Policies in Delhi, India.”
Saumitra was born and raised in Delhi, India, within a Bengali family, making Bangla, Hindi, and English part of his linguistic repertoire. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi. After working as an architect in Delhi for two years, Saumitra’s focus shifted towards broader research-driven projects, which led him to pursue a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University. Following another two years of professional experience, Saumitra joined the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to pursue a Ph.D. in the Department of City and Regional Planning.
Saumitra’s initial interest in architecture stemmed from a desire to understand people’s needs and aspirations and translate them into tangible outcomes through a creative process. His undergraduate studies included history of settlements, planning, and urban design, which sparked his interest in subjects related to the public realm rather than individual clients. His work on large-scale urban design projects, such as passive urban water management systems in Delhi, involved significant public and governmental interaction. Recognizing the need for formal training in planning, Saumitra pursued a Master’s degree at Cornell University, where his thesis focused on the relationship between sanitation and flooding in Kolkata, India. His current research continues this focus on water and sanitation in low- and middle-income countries.
Saumitra’s doctoral dissertation is titled, “Muddling Through to Uphold the Right to Water? An Examination of Delhi’s Free Water Policy.” His research, inspired by Lindblom’s theory of policy formation, investigates how decision-makers can iteratively improve policies for societal betterment despite limited information and resources. His dissertation examines the management and distribution of water in Delhi, questioning the effectiveness of heavily subsidized or free water policies in upholding the right to water. Using a mixed-methods approach, Saumitra incorporates economic frameworks to address diverse needs and preferences in water policy reforms, while qualitative methods help understand the impact of subsidy policies considering the informal institutions in Indian cities.
Saumitra sees that Improving water management is crucial for modern India, given the increasing uncertainty of water availability and climate change impacts. With its status as the world’s largest democracy, rapid urbanization, and diverse population, he sees understanding and supporting India’s communities and officials at various government levels as essential for addressing unique challenges with limited resources. For Saumitra, this work is deeply personal, as India is home.
Saumitra has received several notable academic awards, including the Thomas S. and Helen Borda Royster and Snowden and Elspeth Merck Henry Dissertation Fellowship (the Royster Society of Fellows Dissertation Completion Fellowship), the Graduate Summer Research Grant from UNC, and the Druscilla French Graduate Student Fellowship for 2019-2020. Currently, Saumitra is preparing the chapters from his dissertation for publication. He enjoys teaching and hopes to incorporate it into his future roles, whether in academia, an international organization, or a research institute. Saumitra’s overarching goal is to contribute to managing limited resources while meeting diverse societal needs and ensuring future generations are not constrained by current choices.
Saumitra finds great reward in contributing to meaningful research and the possibility of making an impact through applied research. His journey has taught him the importance of patience and seeking guidance from peers and mentors, especially when finding one’s place in the research community and narrowing down research topics.
To aspiring graduate student researchers, Saumitra offers:
“Conducting research can be a long-drawn process with a lot of setbacks and at times can be very frustrating. It is important to have stamina and to keep the ultimate objective in mind since in the end it will be fulfilling. Since in many cases, research will involve an exploration of something new, it may be difficult to convey the ideas you have to someone else. At that stage, it is important to be humble and take criticisms well to keep improving your research.”
Outside of his academic pursuits, Saumitra enjoys birding, often visiting urban green spaces, wooded parks, or wetlands with his camera. He also loves attending plays, performances, concerts, and museums. At home, he enjoys science fiction and practicing origami.
