Jillet Sarah Sam

Dr. Jillet Sarah Sam is an Associate Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur). Her research focuses on the sociological dimensions of digital financial transformations in India, particularly examining how money, finance, and digital technologies intersect with social structures.

Dr. Sam completed her PhD in Sociology from the University of Maryland, College Park (2008-2014) with a dissertation on caste identification and spatial imaginaries. Her academic journey includes an M.A. in Sociology from the University of Hyderabad (2007) and a B.A. in Economics from Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi (2002).

Her research program investigates how digital payment systems have reshaped financial practices in India, with particular attention to gender dynamics, informal labor sectors, and social stratification. She employs ethnographic methods to understand how marginalized communities navigate digital financial inclusion, especially during critical moments like demonetization and the pandemic.

Dr. Sam's work reveals how digital payment adoption is not merely a technological shift but a complex social process involving multiple actor groups, policy interventions, and cultural interpretations. Her research shows how caste, gender, and class dynamics persist and transform in digital financial spaces.

• 2022: Visiting Lecturer at University of Bologna
• 2020-2022: €20,000 BANDO STRUTTURE Mobility Grant for comparative India-Italy consumer behavior study
• 2018-2019: 148,000 SEK FORMAS STINT Mobility Grant for women's monetary digitization research

She has established significant international collaborations with researchers in Sweden, Italy, and the United States, contributing to the global understanding of digital financial transformations in developing economies while maintaining a strong focus on India's unique sociocultural context.