Dr. Tandon is an internationally acclaimed leader and practitioner of participatory research and development. He is the Founder-President of Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), a global centre for participatory research & training. He has also been the co-chair of the UNESCO Chair in Community Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education since 2012. The UNESCO Chair grows out of and supports UNESCO’s global lead by playing a pivotal role in helping countries build knowledge societies. Dr. Tandon also heads the Forum for Indian Development Corporation (FIDC) as its Chairperson. He is Chairperson of the Committee to appraise the UGC scheme under ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyan’ and a Member of the Expert Group for Development of Educational Framework for Global Citizenship in Higher Education Institutions, constituted by the University Grants Commission.
Engineering in Electronics from IIT, Kanpur, MBA from IIM Calcutta and PhD in Management from Case Western Reserve University, USA, Dr. Tandon left his teaching job at IIM Calcutta to support & champion the cause of building organizations and capacities of the marginalised through their knowledge, learning and empowerment. A pioneer of participatory research, Dr Tandon has given new meaning to academic research by redefining the relationship between the researcher and the researched. He has contributed to the emergence of several local, national and international initiatives to promote societies’ authentic and participatory development.
Dr. Tandon has taught courses on participatory research and democratic governance in South Africa, the UK, Canada, Italy, the USA, Colombia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Cambodia, in addition to several universities in India. He has also written more than 100 books, articles, and training manuals on participatory research, social responsibility in higher education, civil society, and local governance.
Dr. Tandon has served on numerous Expert Committees of the Government of India, the University Grants Commission of India, the United Nations, the Commonwealth Foundation and the World Bank. In 2015, the Indian Adult Education Association (IAEA) awarded Dr. Tandon the Nehru Literacy Award. For his distinguished work on gender issues, the Government of India honoured him with the prestigious Social Justice Award in March 2007. The University of Victoria, Canada, awarded Dr. Tandon the Doctor of Law (Honoris Causa) degree in June 2008. He is the first Indian to be inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education (IACE) Hall of Fame (class of 2011). He is also the first Indian scholar to be inducted into the Academy of Engagement Scholarship in 2019.