I am Harshali Damodar Ghule, a first-generation learner currently on a Ph.D. journey at the Centre for Urban Science and Engineering (CUSE), I.I.T. Bombay, India. My academic journey began with a degree in mechanical engineering, but my enduring passion for policy led me to pursue a master's in sociology at Savitribai Phule Pune University. My areas of interest are rural transformations, postcolonial urban theories, disaster sociology, and public policy. Beyond academics, I have an adventurous spirit and a love for exploring new villages, remote areas, and city streets. My camera is always ready to capture the realities on roads, streets, and public spaces. 

Caste and gender serve as two significant lenses through which I view the world, and equality and justice are the two fundamental principles that guide my life.

 About My PhD: 

I am particularly passionate about exploring the urbanisation of villages within a regional context. My thesis, 'Becoming Agro-micropolis: Market, Place and Governance in Lasalgaon', investigates the economic geography of rural-urban transition and the emergence of new 'in-between' settlements in the Global South. Empirically, I studied a place that hosts one of Asia's largest wholesale onion markets. I used a mixed-method design combining GIS and the qualitative research method of 'tracking flow and connection' to trace onions as a commodity from production to export, understanding their impact on regional spatial and economic restructuring. 

I am in the final stage of my PhD journey.