Dr Tarun Monga

Gender Equality Expert 

Currently based in: New Delhi, India

Chevening Gurukul Fellowship 2025

Talk to me about: NGOs and civil society organisations (structure, funding, and impact); gender & social inclusion in policy and infrastructure; tribal and indigenous communities in India; rural development and social policy implementation; careers in the development sector and multilateral banks (how to get in and what it’s really like); HIV/AIDS research and its translation into public health policy; mental health in development contexts.

Dr. Tarun Monga has spent nearly 15 years working at the intersection of tribal communities, public health, and gender equity – from HIV/AIDS research in Delhi’s hospitals to designing gender and social inclusion (GESI) frameworks for infrastructure and climate finance projects at the Asian Development Bank. A 2013 Peace Ambassador Award recipient, he brings rare experience that spans grassroots practice, government advisory, and multilateral policy work.

As Managing Trustee of the Saksham Foundation, Dr. Monga leads the Samridh Gram (Empowered Village) initiative – a community-based programme operating across rural and tribal regions of India that promotes sustainable livelihoods through natural farming, youth empowerment, and community health. He is a passionate advocate for scalable, village-level models that communities can own and sustain without continued external dependency. In his parallel role as Gender Equality Expert with the Asian Development Bank, New Delhi, he works to institutionalise gender mainstreaming mechanisms across major infrastructure and climate finance projects.

His earlier career included large-scale HIV/AIDS research at the Centre of Excellence, Maulana Azad Medical College, and a Chief Minister Fellowship with the Government of NCT of Delhi, contributing to health systems reform, skills development, and gender-based violence prevention. He holds a PhD in Social Work and an M.A. in Clinical Psychology. In 2025, he was selected as a Chevening Gurukul Fellow at St. Cross College, a programme bringing together mid-career leaders in governance, public policy, and leadership across India.

Advice to St Cross students: A Sanskrit verse I return to often: ‘Ekam sat, bahudha vipra vadanti’ – truth is one, but expressed in many ways. In development work, policy, multiple interpretations of the same “truth” coexist, each rooted in real experience. The most effective solutions come from listening to those perspectives – especially from those most affected – rather than arriving with answers already written.

If you would like to be put in touch with Tarun, please contact development@stx.ox.ac.uk