Harleen Kaur

Harleen Kaur is an Indian psychologist, human rights scholar, and Assistant Professor at the Jindal School of Psychology and Counselling, O.P. Jindal Global University, India, whose work sits at the intersection of identity, human rights, and health. Her research is rooted in a commitment to social justice, particularly for minorities, and centers on the lived experiences of mental health equity, and culturally inclusive public health. Her scholarly and professional journey bridges academia, grassroots engagement, and global dialogues in psychology and human rights.

 

Dr. Kaur holds a BS in Psychology from the University of Rajasthan and an MS and PhD in Psychology from Banaras Hindu University, where her doctoral research examined the intersectionality and lived experiences of Indian transgender persons through qualitative methods and critical human rights perspectives. She holds additional postgraduate qualifications in community mental health from NIMHANS and in counselling and psychological interventions from Banaras Hindu University.

 

She is the sole author of Psychological Research Among Transgender Individuals: An Indian Case Study (Springer) and is editing a volume on Global Queerness forthcoming from Palgrave Macmillan. Informed by continental philosophers such as Michel Foucault and Edward Said, her scholarship is published extensively in reputable journals. She serves as a peer reviewer for several international indexed journals and brings over seven years of research experience, complemented by teaching and administration in Indian higher education institutions.

 

A recipient of multiple prestigious international fellowships and awards, Dr. Kaur was an Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) Doctoral Fellow of the Ministry of Education, Government of India. She is recognized as an "Emerging Psychologist" by the International Union of Psychological Sciences — among the top 40 young scientists selected globally — and as an Advanced Research Training Seminar (ARTS) Fellow by the International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP). She has served as Young Indian Ambassador by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India. She is a Visiting Fellow at the Herbert Simon Research Institute, Tilburg University, the Netherlands, and has presented her work on biopower and queer politics at the 76th Political Studies Association Annual Conference, University of Oxford. Dr. Kaur's expertise has been acknowledged through significant policy-level engagements. She has served as an invited expert for consultations by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, and AIIMS on transgender healthcare, and is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of several global forums. She is presently involved in multiple multi-country and interdisciplinary research projects, including those funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, United Kingdom. Her training portfolio spans over 30 national and international workshops and capacity-building programs across India, Europe, and neighboring countries. She co-chaired the 19th Annual Psychology Day at the United Nations.

Fellowship Project: MIRROR Project

Transgender persons in India represent one of the country's most systematically marginalized communities, facing persistent exclusion across education, employment, healthcare, and political participation. While landmark judgments and subsequent legislation formally recognized transgender identities, legal recognition alone has not translated into substantive equality or dignity in everyday life. Governments, civil society organizations, and human rights bodies have sought to address this gap through policy reform and advocacy. Yet a major barrier remains: the profound disjuncture between rights on paper and rights in practice, shaped by intersecting factors of caste, class, religion, and geography. This work aims to map how law, social institutions, and lived experience shape transgender identity, generating insights to inform more equitable rights implementation in India and beyond.