Meet the Team | Rekhi Center For Science of Happiness, IIT Madras

Dr. Rupashree Baral

Professor

Dr. Rupashree Baral is a Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management at the Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras, and serves as the Coordinator of the Rekhi Center for Science of Happiness at IIT Madras. With over 15 years of academic and research experience, she has published more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, along with numerous case studies and book chapters. Her research champions human-centered, inclusive, and sustainable workplaces, spanning themes such as health and wellbeing, workplace spirituality, work-family interface, women at work, diversity and inclusion, gender and intersectionality, human-technology interaction, sustainability, and education. She has led several funded projects addressing socially relevant issues, including women’s empowerment and youth development. Dr. Baral’s contributions have been recognized through prestigious honors such as the Rajan Varadarajan Outstanding Researcher Award (2024), Best Teacher Award, DoMS IIT Madras (2023), and the Distinguished Alumnus (Academics) Award from Berhampur University, Odisha (2025). She is widely respected for her scholarly rigor, mentorship, and commitment to meaningful impact.

Dr. S. Srinivasan

Associate Professor

Dr. S. Srinivasan is an Associate Professor of Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior at the Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras, and serves as the Co-Coordinator of the Rekhi Center for Science of Happiness at IIT Madras. His specialization includes HR analytics, strategic capability development, corporate volunteering, and employee engagement. His research interests focus on workplace flourishing, employee agility, blended learning, Human-AI Collaboration, social intelligence and non-profit organization performance.

Dr. V. Vijayalakshmi

Professor

Dr. V Vijayalakshi is a faculty with the Department of Management Studies (Broad Area - Organizational Behavior and Human Development), Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras). Her current research interests include: 1. Positive Organizational Behavior (Biomimicry, Sportivity Quotient, Strength-Based Approach, Holistic Development, Emotional Immunity) 2. Cross-Cultural Management (Value Orientations and Well-Being across Cultures) 3. Creativity, Knowledge Management, Unlearning, Meta-Cognitive Strategies 4. Teaching, Learning, and Education (Learning in Metaverse, Holistic Education, Contemporary Teaching and Learning Beliefs and Practices) 5. Women Entrepreneurship She is involved in socially relevant projects that strive to create a positive and transformative ripple effect in the areas of a) Women Entrepreneurship and b) Holistic Education. She also works in close synergy with the Industry in Coaching and Positive Psychology Interventions such as Sportivity Quotient, Emotional Immunity, Holistic Development and Well-Being. Her goal for this year is to continue her efforts on the overall holistic development and wellbeing of students and teachers, women entrepreneurs, Indian Armed Forces, among others.

Drashti Shah

Project Associate

Drashti Shah is a Project Associate at the Rekhi Centre, IIT Madras, where she works at the intersection of neuroscience, psychology and wellbeing research. She holds a Master’s degree in Neuropsychology and has experience with EEG, eye tracking, fNIRS, neuropsychological assessments and cognitive neuroscience methods. Her research interests focus on understanding brain-behaviour relationships, emotional wellbeing and cognitive processes. At the centre, she contributes to designing research studies, developing the Mind Lab, and supporting interdisciplinary projects on happiness and mental health. She has previously worked with leading labs at IIT Bombay, UC Berkeley and CDAC, gaining experience in experimental design, data acquisition and analysis.

Saumya

Research Assistant

Saumya is a Research Assistant at the Rekhi Centre for the Science of Happiness, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, working at the intersection of psychology, cognition, and wellbeing. She designs and supports behavioral and neuropsychological experiments, with experience in EEG and physiological data. At the centre, she contributes to designing research, conducting experiments, and working on interdisciplinary areas including wellbeing, family dynamics, and mental health. She holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and has previously contributed to academic publications. She has worked as a Clinical Psychology Intern at RINPAS and CIP and as a Research Assistant at Shri Ram College of Commerce.