Research is a learning process and learning never ends

Dr Shrabani Saha has joined the University of Lincoln as a Senior Lecturer in 2014. Prior to joining University of Lincoln, she was a Lecturer of Economics at Edith Cowan University, Australia and Massey University, New Zealand. She also worked as an Associate Lecturer in the University of Sydney, Australia, and as a teaching assistant at the University of Western Sydney, Australia.

CareerIndia had an opportunity to interview Dr. Shrabani Saha when she was in Kolkata, India. Here are our questions to Dr. Saha and her apt answers:

CI: Good Afternoon Dr Saha, Please Kindly brief us about your research

Dr. Saha: My area of interest consists of political economy, economic growth, development economics and international trade issues. The main areas of my research focus on causes and effects of corruption across nations and corruption's relations with democracy and economic freedom. I have also been engaged in research involving political instability and its effects on tourism demands and economic growth.

I am currently collaborating on several research projects with researchers from various universities at Australia, New Zealand, Canada, UK, USA, UAE, Malaysia, Singapore, Mongolia, China and India.

I have presented my research papers at more than 30 international conferences in the past ten years. I presented my research papers twice at the American Economic Association Conference in USA.

CI: Is Lincoln providing online courses for economics aspirants?

Dr. Saha: No. At present Lincoln does not provide online courses in the field of economics.

CI: What are the career prospects for those who complete their graduation and post-graduation in economics?

Dr. Saha: Candidates who complete their graduation and post-graduation in economics can perform several roles in different fields. They can work as lecturers, serve in the banking sector, finance; they can play key roles as policy makers, policy analysts, business analysts and data analysts.

CI: What is your advice to research aspirants or those who take up research?

Dr. Saha: Research is a learning process and learning never ends. If one wants to succeed as a research scholar, one should remember that development, in this field, is possible only through thorough and meticulous research and sheer dedication wedded with patience.

CI: Universities are not only seen as the teaching institutions but also as the centers empowering students to acquire skills. What is your opinion?

Dr. Saha: Students spend a lot on degrees in terms of money, time and effort. They need to be skilled through studies to be job-ready. Hence, it is the bonded duty of each and every educational institute to cater to their academic needs and help them develop their skills in order to face the cut-throat competition in the job market and make their dreams come true.

CI: What are the challenges faced by Economics students and how can they overcome them?

Dr. Saha: I agree that the Economics students face difficulties. The first difficulty is that they think economics is a difficult subject because it requires some mathematics. Yes, Economics requires a certain amount of knowledge about mathematics but mathematics itself is not difficult if learned with interest. And it is our duty to make the subject interesting and refreshing for them by relating real life evidence.

CI: How important is it for a teacher or lecturer to do research?

Dr. Saha: Innovation and creativity are important components in the teaching and learning process. They bring out the true essence of teaching. And one can earn the aforementioned qualities by involving oneself in research. Research helps a teacher to stay in tune with reality. A teacher should prioritize research-led teaching. Even teaching related research makes the teaching and learning process most successful.

CI: Tell us more about 'research-engaged teaching' at Lincoln University?

Dr. Saha: It is quite an important aspect for any higher educational institute. The teaching bereft of research is not complete. Student as Producer is a University-wide initiative to link undergraduate study with research and to support students to become engaged in the development of their subject and the University.

Students will be given opportunities to work alongside academics on research projects in their discipline to gain experience, develop new skills and make a meaningful contribution to the production of knowledge alongside experienced researchers.

Conventional models of higher education have seen a separation between the two most fundamental activities which take place in universities: teaching and research. At the University of Lincoln, however, these two activities are integral to the creation of knowledge and meaning.

More About Dr. Saha:

Dr. Saha holds a PhD in Economics from Massey University, New Zealand, Master of Economics from University of Sydney, Australia, MSc in Economics from the University of Calcutta, India and a BSc (Hons) in Economics from the University of Calcutta, India. She also holds a professional teaching qualification from Higher Education Academy - HEA, UK as Fellow.

Dr. Saha is deeply interested in political economy, economic growth, development economics and international trade issues. The main areas of her research focus on the causes and effects of corruption across nations and corruption's relations with democracy and economic freedom. She has been also engaged in research involving political instability and its effects on tourism demands and economic growth.

Dr Saha is currently collaborating on several research projects with researchers from various universities at Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK, USA, UAE, Malaysia, Singapore, Mongolia, China and India.

Dr Saha has presented her research papers at more than 30 international conferences in the past ten years, which includes twice at the prestigious American Economic Association Conference (AEA) in USA.

Dr Saha has delivered invited seminars at various universities and top management institutes all across the globe (to name a few) Management School, Waikato University, New Zealand, Department of Economics and Finance, Massey University, New Zealand, Hull Business School, University of Hull, UK, Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata, India, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Kolkata, India, London School of Economics, London, UK, University Of Kingston, UK, University Of Manchester UK, Nayang Technological University, Singapore, National University Singapore, University of Western Sydney, Australia, Curtin University, Australia, University of Western Australia, Australia, University of Notre Dame, Australia, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta, India, Heritage Business School, The Heritage Institute, Kolkata, India, Management School, Institute of Engineering and Management (IEM), Kolkata, India. Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Bombay India, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, IGIDR, Mumbai, India, XLRI, Jamshedpur, India.

Dr Saha invites PhD proposals on Development Economics, Macroeconomics, International Trade and Tourism Economics.

Focus on research helped IIT Chennai get into top 250 rankings Focus on research helped IIT Chennai get into top 250 rankings