Debapriya Chakrabarti

Dr. Debapriya Chakrabarti is a Lecturer in Architecture at the Manchester School of Architecture (MSA), Manchester Metropolitan University, where she teaches M Arch Year 2 in the PRAXXIS feminist atelier and leads Research Methods Workshops for M Arch Year 1. Previously an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow at The University of Manchester, she contributes to MSA's vertical teaching structure through the explicitly intersectional PRAXXIS initiative.

Her academic foundation includes a PhD in Architecture from The University of Manchester investigating Kolkata's idol-crafting transformations, a Master's in City Planning from IIT Kharagpur (2015) funded by India's Ministry of Human Resource and Development scholarship, and a Bachelor of Architecture from Biju Patnaik University of Technology (2012) following professional practice in Kolkata.

Chakrabarti's research interrogates infrastructure-livelihood interfaces in Global South urban contexts, specializing in marginalized communities' resilience through cultural practices like Kolkata's Durga Puja festival. Her work bridges architecture, urban studies, and critical geography to analyze how caste, gender, and political hierarchies shape informal settlements and infrastructure access.

Recent publications reveal consistent engagement with decolonizing urban knowledge production, informal economies, and university-led innovation. Key threads include infrastructure's role in cultural preservation, cross-border trade dynamics, and feminist pedagogical approaches to architectural education, all emphasizing community agency in urban transitions.

Her research has received competitive funding through ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowships and Indian government scholarships, though no specific scientific awards are documented in available materials.

As an educator, she mentors architecture students through PRAXXIS's feminist framework while conducting externally funded research on Global South urbanism. Her grant history includes ESRC support for postdoctoral work and MHRD funding for graduate studies, reflecting sustained institutional investment in her research trajectory.

She actively shapes discourse through PRAXXIS, MSA's vertically integrated feminist atelier that stimulates intersectional debate across architecture education levels and extends influence through public engagement beyond the institution.