S. Nayana Tara was a professor at the Centre for Public Policy, Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru from 1986 to March 2017. She is a recipient of Fulbright Post-Doctoral Fellowship, a member of the Knowledge Commission of Government of Karnataka, and associate editor of the journal of the UK-based Taylor & Francis. She specializes in large-scale research studies, teaching in the postgraduate program and guiding doctoral students at IIMB. She has been a consultant to the World Bank, British High Commission, National Literacy Mission, and MHRD, to name a few. She has authored several books and research publications.