Lakshmi Priya is a Research Analyst at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi. She has a Ph.D. in West Asian Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University and her doctoral thesis was on Status of Women in Syria under Hafiz al-Assad, 1970-2000 and she wrote her M. Phil dissertation on India’s Relations with Syria, 1991-2008.  Her research interests include domestic and foreign policy of Syria, Indo-Gulf relations and gender and feminist discourse in the Middle East. Before joining MP-IDSA, she was a researcher with the Indian Social Institute, New Delhi, and has worked at the Office of the Cultural Attaché, Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, New Delhi. She has also worked as an editor for Delhi-based Arihant Publishers.

Dr. Priya has a Masters in Arabic from the School of Languages in JNU and is fluent in English, Hindi and Arabic. In addition to West Asian studies, she has an interest in international relations and political theory. She has published research articles Social Action, Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and Journal of West Asian Studies She regularly contributes articles and commentaries on contemporary developments in the Middle East.