Dr Swaminathan is the Professor and Head of Economic Analysis Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore. She holds a doctorate in Economics from the University of Oxford and has worked on issues of food security, agriculture and rural development. Her special interests include working on poverty and inequality, human development, food security, rural credit, women and work, child labour and education. She has taught courses at University of Oxford, Helsinki and Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research as well.

 

She has been a member of the Government of India's high level panel on long term food security and has also served on the Committee of Development Policy of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations (UN) from 2013-2015.