Upasana has joined The Council as a Research Analyst with the Sustainable Water team and is working out of the project office in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. She is a driven development professional with a zeal to create positive impact in communities. With an extensive experience of six years, she has contributed to several national-level projects including Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Mission, and Sarva Siksha Abhiyan and has led state-level initiatives in Gujarat, Tripura, Odisha, Goa and Uttar Pradesh.

Prior to joining The Council, she was working for the United Nations Office for Project Services as a State Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) consultant and has overseen the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission in Uttar Pradesh. Before that she worked with Tata Trusts as State Lead and worked closely with the Directorate of Panchayats, Government of Goa. Her role there involved providing coordination, management and monitoring support to the state administration for the effective implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) and providing support for development and roll out of the Social Behavioral Change Communication (SBCC) strategy, with a focus on sanitation & personal hygiene issues.

Upasana holds a master's in Comparative Literature from the Jadavpur University, Kolkata and graduation in Psychology from Calcutta University. Apart from her professional pursuits, Upasana is a passionate foodie and an avid traveller, who loves to explore new culture and cuisines.