Biography

Dr. Sulbha Rai is an Assistant Professor at the Jindal Institute of Behavioural Sciences (JIBS), O. P. Jindal Global University. She holds a Ph.D. in Criminology from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi, with her doctoral research broadly focusing on child rights, marginalization, victimization, and the psychosocial experiences of children from vulnerable communities. 

She completed her Master’s degree in Criminology from the LNJN National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science (NICFS), Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi, and was awarded the UGC-NET Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in Criminology. Her academic qualifications also include an Advanced Diploma in Spanish from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. 

With over eight years of teaching and academic experience, Dr. Rai has taught and engaged with students across undergraduate and postgraduate courses in criminology, victimology, forensic psychology, and allied areas. Prior to joining O. P. Jindal Global University, she served for almost three years as an Assistant Professor of Criminology at the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Delhi Campus, an Institute of National Importance under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. During her tenure at NFSU, she also served as the Program Coordinator for the M.A. Criminology programme. Dr. Rai was involved in conducting training sessions for national and international participants, including in-service professionals from the police, judiciary, prison administration, forensic medicine, and allied sectors. She also has over four years of experience as a Legislative Assistant with Members of Parliament, contributing to legislative research and policy-related work. 

Her academic and research interests span criminology, victimology, child rights, crimes against women and children, juvenile delinquency, critical criminology, forensic psychology, victim assistance, and ethnographic engagement with vulnerable and marginalized communities, including De-notified Tribes (DNTs). Her research is largely interdisciplinary and field-oriented, with particular emphasis on understanding crime, victimization, vulnerability, and social marginalization through qualitative and ethnographic perspectives. 

Dr. Rai has presented research papers at several national and international conferences and has chaired and co-chaired scientific sessions at academic forums. Her work has been published in Scopus-indexed as well as other peer-reviewed journals. In 2025, she presented a research paper at the University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom, where she also chaired a scientific session. She has chaired and co-chaired sessions at many other academic forums, including the World Anthropology Congress held in October 2023. 

She has supervised more than 20 postgraduate dissertations and continues to engage in research and academic activities in the areas of criminology, victimology, and forensic psychology. She is a member of the International Society of Criminology (Société Internationale de Criminologie, ISC-SIC) and a Life Member of the Indian Society of Criminology. Dr. Rai has also been actively associated with and volunteered for non-governmental organizations working on social issues, particularly those concerning women and children from marginalized communities.