I specialize in the Sociology of Work and Organizations, with a particular focus on the intersection of Science, Technology, and Society. During the 2023–2024 academic year, I was honoured to serve as a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University. My research explores the transformative impact of automation and technological innovation on individuals, institutions, and broader societal frameworks. Using an intersectional lens, I engage with critical themes such as the Future of Work, Employability, Proactive Governance, Technological Adoption, Digital Credibility, Disruptive Innovation, Skilled Migration, and the role of Algorithms in shaping Trust and Credibility in the age of Big Data and Generative AI. I am especially interested in how these dynamics influence the Millennial and Gen Z workforce and intersect with issues of social mobility. My work draws upon disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary methodologies—integrating insights from sociology, behavioural science, and design thinking to address complex societal challenges. I have also shared my perspectives through consultancy engagements and major media platforms, including Bloomberg, Channel News Asia, and The Straits Times.
Education
- PhD, Sociology, National University of Singapore, 2007
Professional experience
- 2017–Present: Faculty Member, Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)
- 2015–2017: Senior Lecturer, SUTD
- 2012–2015: Lecturer, SUTD
- 2011: Lecturer, Department of Sociology, South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore (NUS)
- 2009–2010: Visiting Fellow, Department of Sociology, NUS
- 2007–2009: Research Fellow and Grants Advisor, FASS Research Cluster, NUS
- 2002–2007: Teaching Fellow/Assistant, Department of Sociology, NUS
Visiting appointments and fellowships
- 2025: Lead and Expert in AI and Economic Development, Center on Global Poverty, Johns Hopkins University
- 2024: Visiting Scholar, Department of Continuing Education, University of Oxford
- 2023: Fulbright Visiting Scholar, Department of Sociology, Columbia University (Trust Collaboratory, INCITE), hosted by Professor Gil Eyal
- 2023: Fellow, Social Mobility Foundation, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS
- 2022: Visiting Scholar, Department of Sociology, University of Cambridge, hosted by Professor Patrick Baert
- 2018: Visiting Scholar, COMPAS, Department of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford, hosted by Professor Xiang Biao
- 2016–2017: Visiting Scholar, Science, Technology, and Society Program, MIT, hosted by Professor Michael J. Fischer
Awards and scholarships
- PhD Scholarship, National University of Singapore, 2002–2007
- Teaching Excellence Award, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 2014
Consultancy and invited expert roles
- 2025: Industry and labour research expert, NTUC co.lab
- 2025: Expert Member, IIE Global Community of Women’s Leadership
- 2025: Lead, AI and Economic Empowerment, Johns Hopkins Center for Global Poverty
- 2023: Project Consultant, Singapore Environment Council (with Lyle Fearnley)
- 2010: Project Consultant, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Singapore
Research grants
- 2024–2025: Grantee, IIE Global Community of Women’s Leadership, USD $2,500
- 2023: Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Columbia University, USD $20,000
- 2022–2024: Principal Investigator, Social Mobility Foundation, Lee Kwan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS, “Bridging the Gap: Gen Z Social Mixing and Equity in Singapore,” SGD $45,500
- 2022–2024: Co-Principal Investigator, SUTD Kickstarter Grant, “How the Lightbulb Was Invented: Sparking Creativity through Learning-from-Failure Interventions,” SGD $489,000
- 2017–2021: Principal Investigator, SUTD Startup Grant, SGD $100,000
- 2017–2020: Co-Principal Investigator, IDC Grant, “Applying Social Science Methods to Analyse the Impact of Input Data on Design Outcomes,” SGD $495,850
Publications
Books
- Raghunath, Nilanjan. Shaping the Futures of Work: Proactive Governance and Millennials. McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2021.
- Raghunath, Nilanjan. AI-enabled Work and Social Capital: Economic Networks, Advantage, and Power Dynamics. Under review, University of Toronto Press, expected 2025.
Journal articles: sociology of work, organizations, social mobility
| Year | Journal article |
| 2024 | Raghunath, Nilanjan and Oh Peng Ho. “A new model of Singapore’s Flexible Work Redesign. ILR Review. Submitted in May 2024. Web of Science Impact Factor 2.8, JCR 7/52, Scopus: Cite Score 6.2, 83rd Percentile, 38/226, SJR Q1. |
| 2024 | Raghunath, Nilanjan and Oh Peng Ho. “Responding to Precarity: Continuous Education and Training (CET) Policies on Employability in Singapore.” Work Employment and Society. Submitted in May 2024. Web of Science Impact |
| 2023 | Factor 3.7, JCR 4/52, Scopus: Cite Score 8.5, 97th Percentile, (35/1415), SJR Q1. Raghunath, Nilanjan. “Quantified Credibility as an Exigency of Late Modernity: A Case Study of China’s Social Credit System.” Journal of Chinese Sociology. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40711-024-00212-0. Web of Science Impact Factor 1.5, JCR 127/216, Scopus: Cite Score 2.0, 64th Percentile, 94/262, SJR Q2. |
| 2021 | Raghunath, Nilanjan. “Technological Adoption as a Social Process in Food Centers in Singapore.” Science Technology and Society, 30 April. Web of Science Impact Factor 2.1, JCR 242/401, Scopus: Cite Score, 3.3, 75th Percentile, 33/134, SJR Q1. |
| 2020 | Raghunath, Nilanjan. “Full Employment in the Cryptocurrency Economy: Lessons Learnt from Michael Polanyi.” Tradition & Discovery. The Polanyi Society Journal, 46, 2, 43-56. Web of Science Impact Factor 0.2, JCR 170/328, Scopus: NA, SJR NA. |
| 2020 | Raghunath, Nilanjan. “China’s Social Credit System and its Impact on Credibility and Social Mobility of its Citizens.” Sociology Compass. Web of Science Impact Factor 2.7. JCR 49/216, Scopus: Cite Score 4.0, 82nd Percentile, 47/262, SJR Q1. |
| 2020 | Raghunath, Nilanjan and Tony Tan. “The Impact of Social Stratification on Morbidity During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 40, (9/10), pp. 793-806. Web of Science Impact Factor 2.7, JCR 79/216, Scopus: Cite Score 4.3, 86th Percentile, 39/279, SJR Q1. |
| 2017 | Raghunath, Nilanjan, Aye Myat Khine Win, and Fumiko Nishino. “Why is STEM Unattractive to Women? A Comparison of STEM Education in Japan and the United States.” Heinz Journal, 15, (2) 12-28. Web of Science Impact Factor NA, JCR NA, Scopus: NA, SJR, NA. |
Journal article: sociology of work (in progress)
| Year | Journal article |
| 2024 | Raghunath, Nilanjan. “Building Inclusive Futures: A Review of Women and the Future of Work,” Sociology Compass. Web of Science Impact Factor 2.7. JCR 49/216, Scopus: Cite Score 4.0, 82nd Percentile, 47/262, SJR Q1. |
| 2024 | Raghunath, Nilanjan and Asuncion Fresnoza-Flot. “Negotiating Intimacy: Professional Indian and Filipino Migrant Women Managing Family and Career.” Qualitative Research. Web of Science Impact Factor 3.6, JCR 32/216, Scopus: Cite Score 6.8, 96th Percentile, 7/208, SJR Q1. |
| 2024 | Raghunath, Nilanjan. “Global Power Dynamics in the Semiconductor Industry: Sociological Perspectives on Labour and Political Economy.” ILR Review. Abstract Under review for conference and journal article publication in 2024. Web of Science Impact Factor 2.8, JCR 7/52, Scopus: Cite Score 6.2, 83rd Percentile, 38/226, SJR Q1. |
| 2024 | Raghunath, Nilanjan. “Design Your Work: Examining the Evolution of Flexible Work in the Tripartite Labor Sphere in Singapore.” Work Employment and Society. Abstract under review for conference and journal article publication in 2024. Web of Science Impact Factor 3.7, JCR 4/52, Scopus: Cite Score, 8.5, 97th Percentile, (35/1415), SJR Q1. |
Journal articles and proceedings: transdisciplinary (applied sociology)
| Year | Journal article |
| 2023 | Raghunath, Nilanjan, Georgios Koronis, Rianne Karthikayen, Arlindo Silva, Christine Yogiaman. “A Social Science Mixed Methods Approach to Stimulating and Measuring Creativity in the Classroom Context.” Design Science (online). Web of Science Impact Factor 2.4, JCR 49/66, Scopus: Cite Score 3.5, 97th Percentile, 16/625, SJR Q1. |
| 2019 | Raghunath, Nilanjan with Georgios, Koronis (lead author), Pei Zhi Chia, Jacob Kang Kai Siang, Arlindo Silva, Christine Yogiaman, “An Empirical Study on the Impact of Design Brief Information, Gender, and Gender Diversity on the Creativity of Design Outcomes.” Journal of Mechanical Design 141(7): 071102. Web of Science Impact Factor 3.3, JCR 31/179, Scopus: Cite Score 7.3, 85th Percentile, 89/631, SJR Q1. |
| 2016 | Raghunath, Nilanjan, Timothy Li. “Unlearning Anxieties of The Unfamiliar: Teaching Advanced Sociological Topics o Engineering Students.” International Journal of Engineering Education, 32(2), 640-653. Web of Science Impact Factor 1, JCR 92/178, Scopus: Cite Score 2.9, 67th Percentile, 483/1469, SJR Q3. |
| 2015 | Raghunath, Nilanjan, with Timothy Li (lead author), Katja Hölttä-Otto, Asli Arpak, Suranga Nanayakkara, Cassandra Telenko. “Teaching Interdisciplinary Design Between Architecture and Engineering: Finding Common Ground While Retaining Disciplinary Expertise.” Proceedings of the ASME 2015 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference. Volume 3: 17th International Conference on Advanced Vehicle Technologies; 12th International Conference on Design Education; 8th Frontiers in Biomedical Devices. 2-5 August, Boston, USA. |
| 2020 | Raghunath, Nilanjan, Georgios. Koronis and Arlindo. Silva, “Creativity, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Leadership and Professional Motivations: Comparing Design Students in Different Levels of Undergraduate Education,” 2020 IEEE International Conference on Teaching, Assessment, and Learning for Engineering (TALE), Takamatsu, Japan, 2020, pp. 77-82. |
| 2013 | Raghunath, Nilanjan with Rachel Kuhr (lead author), Kevin Otto, Ricardo Sosa, Katja Holtta-Otto, Kristin L. Wood. “Design with the Developing World: A Model with 7 Challenges for the Future. International Conference on Engineering Design, Iced 13, 19-22 August, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Korea. |
Teaching and learning guides
| Year | Guide |
| 2024 | Raghunath, Nilanjan. “Teaching Sociological Concepts through Virtual Reality.” Inspiring Minds, Harvard Business Publishing. Under review. |
| 2023 | Raghunath, Nilanjan. Shaping the Future of Work. Harvard Business Publishing. https://hbsp.harvard.edu/course-explorer/modules/shaping-the-future-of-work |
| 2022 | Raghunath, Nilanjan, Nachamma Sockalingam (lead author), Kin Leong Pey et al. “A White Paper on Cyber Physical Learning.” National Enhanced Learning Technology Conference, SUTD, 27-28 October. https://www.sutd.edu.sg/campusX/white-paper |
| 2020 | Raghunath, Nilanjan, “Teaching and learning guide for: A Sociological Review of China’s Social Credit Systems and Guanxi Opportunities for Social Mobility.” Sociology Compass. Teaching and Learning Guide. https://www.scinapse.io/PAPERS/3029711560 |
| 2017 | Raghunath, Nilanjan with Silva Arlindo (lead author), Christine Yogiaman, Huang Shaoying, James G. Wan, Pey Kin Leong. “A Multidisciplinary 2d Project Across Mathematics, Physics, Humanities, Social Science and Design. EduSCAPES. Singapore University of Technology and Design. |