Alka Parikh is a gold medalist in MA (Economics) from Mumbai University, India and holds PhD degree from Cornell University, USA. She works as a Professor at D A Institute of Information and Communication Technology, Gandhinagar, India. She is actively involved as a member of the Board of Trustees for two NGOs: Utthan (Ahmedabad) and Uplift (Pune). Her research delves into various aspects of economic development, including agriculture, poverty, employment, food and water security. Her research and teachings concentrate on under-privileged groups and areas. She has been a very popular teacher in all the places where she has taught.