Early Life
Prof. Dr. Saraswati Raju Iyer was born on September 30, 1968, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, to Smt. Jalajakshi Ramachandran, a homemaker, and Sri P.S. Ramachandran, a retired Senior Personnel Officer from South Central Railways, Hyderabad. She is the second of three daughters. Her elder sister, Smt. Usha Subramaniam, resides in Hyderabad, while her younger sister, Smt. Parvathi Shivakumar, lives in Canada.
She completed her school education at Keyes High School for Girls and pursued her intermediate studies at Railway Junior College. Her graduation in Social Work was completed at P.G. College of Social Work, Hyderabad. She later pursued higher education from Osmania University, Acharya Nagarjuna University, and Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi.
Career
Prof. Dr. Saraswati Raju Iyer is an eminent academician, sociologist, researcher, and social worker with decades of experience in teaching, research, administration, and community service. She currently serves as Professor and Chairperson of the P.G. Board of Studies in the Department of Sociology and Social Work at Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur.
Throughout her career, she has held several important academic and administrative positions including Head of the Department of Sociology & Social Work, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Member of the Executive Council and Academic Senate, Director of IQAC, and Coordinator of Community Social Responsibility.
Her professional associations extend nationally and internationally. She is a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Social Sciences, Allahabad, and holds memberships in organizations such as NIMHANS Bengaluru, Andhra Pradesh Sociological Society, National Social Science Association (USA), International Justice Mission (USA), Commonwealth Foundation London, and Civil 20 India 2023 (C20). She has also served as Advisory Group Member of the Global Ocean Conservation Sustainability Programme, USA, and Executive Member of the Human Rights International Federation, Government of India.
Prof. Iyer has been actively involved in teaching, mentoring, and academic research. She has guided 30 Ph.D. scholars and 5 M.Phil. scholars and completed 42 research and consultancy projects. Her scholarly output includes 151 research papers published in national and international journals, 82 book chapters, 158 study lessons for the Centre for Distance Education, and 21 e-content modules for the UGC SWAYAM platform.
She has authored books including Counselling for Women Living with HIV/AIDS and Indian Society: Problems and Issues, both published in 2016.
Prof. Iyer has represented India at several international conferences and academic forums in countries including the USA, Nepal, Vietnam, Morocco, the Netherlands, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates.
Personal Life
Prof. Dr. Saraswati Raju Iyer is married to Dr. Raju S. Iyer, a cardio thoracic surgeon associated with Katuri Medical College Hospital, Guntur. The couple has two children. Their daughter, Dr. Deepa Raju, is married to Sri Balaji, a Chartered Accountant, and resides in Dubai with their children Dhruv Iyer and Tanya Iyer. Their son, Sri Hariharan, is pursuing his Master’s degree in Computational Sciences in Germany.
Despite her extensive academic and professional responsibilities, Prof. Iyer has remained deeply committed to family values, social welfare, women empowerment, and educational development.
Achievements & Recognition
Prof. Dr. Saraswati Raju Iyer has received more than 66 prestigious national and international awards in recognition of her outstanding contributions to education, research, social work, and women empowerment.
Some of her notable honours include:
- Best Citizens of India Award (2011)
- Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award (2014)
- Award for Eminent Teacher (2015)
- Women of Distinction Award (2016)
- Adarsh Vidya Saraswati Rashtriya Puraskar (2016)
- Honorary DLitt from the University of South America, USA (2016)
- Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Award (2017)
- Outstanding Woman Educator & Scholar Award (2017)
- Asian Education Award (2020)
- Global Teacher Role Model Award (2020)
- Andhra Pradesh Scientist Award (2020)
- International Women Award (2022)
- Top 100 Women Leadership Award (2022)
- 100 Influential Indians Award (2022)
- India Social Impact Award (2022)
- Asian Excellence Award (2023)
- Global Legends Award (2024)
- World Book Record (2024)
- Leading Educationist of India Award (2024)
- Best Indian Golden Personalities Award (2025)
Her biography has also been featured in Asia Pacific Who’s Who and the Golden Award Book 2024.
External Links
Address:
Department of Sociology & Social Work
Acharya Nagarjuna University
Nagarjuna Nagar, Guntur – 522510, Andhra Pradesh, India
E-mail: saras1_2rajuiyer2003@yahoo.com
