Prof. S. Parasuraman has over 25 years of experience as a teacher, trainer, activist, administrator and development worker. Prof. Parasuraman enjoys working in challenging social, political and physical environments. He has always liked to be part of a larger team and has the rare ability to work in a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary team.

His specific skills lie in:

• Establishing and nurturing institutions
• Facilitating capacity-building on rights-based approach to development
• Contributing to team building, conflict resolution, professional and personal development of staff at all levels in the organisations served and
• Managing complex programmes spread across large regions.

Prof. Parasuraman has held the following possitions during his career: 

• Director (Vice-Chancellor), Tata Institute of Social Sciences (2004 to date)
• Senior Advisor to the United Nations Human Rights Commission, UNESCAP, Bangkok, Thailand (responsible for auditing all specialised UN organisations have been programming development work in rights framework in countries in Asia region)
• Asia Regional Policy Director, ActionAid International, Asia Regional Office, Bangkok, Thailand (January 2001- June 2004)
• Team Leader of the Secretariat and Senior Advisor to the Commission, World Commission on Dams (Employee of World Bank and IUCN: September 1998 - December 2000)
• Programme Director, Oxfam GB, India Programme, New Delhi (October 1995- December 1997)
• Professor and Head of Unit for Rural Studies, TISS (1993-1998), TISS
• Reader in Social Sciences, TISS, (198-1992)
• Visiting Senior Fellow, Institute of Social Studies (ISS, TheHague)
• Lecturer, Unit for Child & Youth Research, TISS (198-1986)

Prof. Parasuraman has over 50 publications in the form of articles in international and national journals, books and research reports. He was awarded the Bharat Shreshta Acharya Award 2012 by MIT, Pune.