Dr. Mahesh Ranjan Debata, a faculty member at the Centre for Inner Asian Studies (CIAS), School of International Studies (SIS), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, has been teaching since December 31, 2007. He also serves as Concurrent Faculty at the Special Centre for E-Learning (SCEL), JNU, since March 12, 2019. With over 13 years of administrative experience, Dr Debata has held key positions, including Director of the UGC Area Studies Programme (2017–2019), Warden of Narmada Hostel (2013–2020), and Proctor of JNU (2016–2020). His research focuses on China, Xinjiang, Inner Asia, Eurasia, Central Asia, and Research Methodology. His academic contributions include four authored or edited books, such as India and Inner Asia: Commerce, Culture and Connectivity (2024) and China’s Minorities: Ethno-Religious Separatism in Xinjiang (2007). He has published over 24 scholarly articles in peer-reviewed journals and 25 book chapters with esteemed publishers like Brill, Sage, Springer, and Routledge, and journals including China and Eurasian Forum Weekly, Himalayan and Central Asian Studies, India Studies Review and International Studies. His active engagement in academic and administrative committees reflects his multifaceted contributions to the academic community.