Upali Bhattacharya
Sociology Lecturer
Contact Information
- Office: Bldg. 52, Rm. 24-E G
- Phone: 805-756-6264
- E-mail: upbhatta@calpoly.edu
About Upali Bhattacharya
Dr. Upali Bhattacharya (she/her) earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from Virginia Tech in July 2025 and is currently a lecturer in Sociology at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Her interdisciplinary teaching and research interests span social stratification, sociology of education, digital technologies, gender and work, and political sociology. Her scholarship has appeared in the Journal of Market Access & Health Policy, and the ASA’s TRAILS repository, and she has contributed public sociology pieces to platforms such as Doing Sociology and LiveWire. Dr. Bhattacharya’s current research explores the intersections of technology, education, and inequality, with projects examining digital access in Indian education and internship disparities in higher education. Prior to academia, she worked in policy and program roles with institutions such as the University of Chicago Center in Delhi, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, and ActionAid India
Education
Ph.D. in Sociology, Virginia Tech
M.A. in Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi
B.A. in Sociology, Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi
Research Interests
- Social Stratification
- Sociology of Education
- Digital Technologies
- Political Sociology
- Work and Gender
Selected Publications:
Sifat, Ridwan Islam, and Upali Bhattacharya. 2023. "Transformative Potential of Artificial Intelligence in Global Health Policy." Journal of Market Access & Health Policy 11(1). doi: 10.1080/20016689.2023.2230660.
Bhattacharya, Upali. 2023. "Introductory Sociology Syllabus." TRAILS: Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology. Washington, DC: American Sociological Association. Retrieved July 2023 (https://trails.asanet.org/article/view/introductory-sociology-syllabus).
Courses Taught
- Soc 110: Comparative Societies
- Soc 306: Sociology of the Family
- Soc 218: International Political Economy
- Soc 305: Social Movements