Associate Professor & Associate Dean
Dr. Aswani RS
Associate Dean, School of Humanities & Social Sciences, IILM University Greater Noida | Best selling Author
Dr. Aswani RS is one of India’s most consequential voices at the intersection of geopolitics, climate security, and international strategy. As Associate Dean of the School of Humanities & Social Sciences at IILM University, Greater Noida, she brings to the classroom a scholarly career that has taken her from the South China Sea to the QUAD table in Australia — and everywhere in between.
Holding a PhD and M.Phil from the University of Kerala with a focus on the Geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific, and a Master’s in Political Science from the University of Hyderabad, Dr. Aswani’s scholarly work is anchored in the geostrategic dimensions of international relations — from non-traditional security threats and non-state actors to strategic alliances and maritime disputes. Her research, published extensively in Scopus and Web of Science journals, spans the geopolitics of climate change, energy transition, and Indo-Pacific security architecture.
The depth of her global engagement is exceptional. In 2023, Dr. Aswani served as a South Asian Futures Fellow, conducting a month-long research residency in Sri Lanka to explore climate cooperation possibilities between India and Sri Lanka. In 2024, she was invited to Australia as a Special Defence Visitor to examine security relations within the QUAD framework. She has also been twice invited by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam — in 2022 and 2023 — to participate in the South China Sea Conference and the 10th Ocean Dialogue, contributing to high-level discourse on emerging maritime security challenges.
She is the author of Cooperative Sustainable Development, published as part of the prestigious Springer SDG Series — a contribution that places her scholarship firmly within the global conversation on sustainable development, governance, and international cooperation.
Dr. Aswani is the recipient of the Academic Excellence Award from UPES (2022), the Excellence in Journalism Award from the Press Club, Trivandrum (2015), and the Best Dissertation Award — TV Paul, McGill University, Canada (2014). Beyond her academic and research pursuits, Dr. Aswani leads a mindful, minimalist, and sustainable lifestyle — a philosophy that is as much a part of her scholarship as her publications.
Connect with Dr. Aswani on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aswani-rs-ph-d-6278b229