Prof. Vibhuti Patel got her Bachelor’s in Economics 1975, Master’s in Economics in 1977 from M.S. University, Baroda, Doctor of Philosophy in Economics from University of Mumbai in 1988. She was awarded post doctoral fellowship from the Commonwealth in 1992 for visiting fellowship at The London School of Economics and Political Science.

She retired as Professor, Advanced Centre for Women’s Studies, School of Development Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai on 30-6-2020. Prior to that, she retired as Professor and Head of Economics Department of SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai on 30-6-2017. She was Director, Post Graduate Studies and Research of SNDT Women’s University from 2006-2012.

Prof. Vibhuti Patel has been a member of various Expert Committees for IGNOU, Ministry of Science & Technology and NCERT (Delhi) during 2005-2014. She prepared a base paper on Gender for Mumbai Human Development Report, 2009, MMRDA Human Development Report (2017) and coauthored “Socioeconomic Status of Muslims in Maharashtra” for Maharashtra State Minority Commission, Government of Maharashtra, 2013. Currently she is Governing Board member of Women Power Connect (Delhi); Indian Council of Basic Education, Anusandhan Trust, VACHA, Women’s Research and Action Group, Institute of Community Organisation and Research and Population First in Mumbai; Olakh-A Space for Women in Vadodara.

She has authored Women’s Challenges of the New Millennium (2002), co-authored book ‘Reaching for Half the Sky’ (1985), ‘Indian Women Change and Challenge’ (1985) and ‘Status Report for ICSSR- Critical Evaluation of Women’s Studies Research during 1947-1988’ (1989). She is co-editor of a series of 15 volumes- ‘Empowering Women Worldwide’ and a Book published by Springer, ‘Gendered Inequalities in Paid and Unpaid Work of Women in India’ (2022). She has edited 2 books namely ‘Discourse on Women and Empowerment’ (2009) and ‘Girls and Girlhoods at the Threshold of Youth and Gender’ (2010). Over last 45 years she has conducted research on work participation of women, human rights, development economics, women’s rights movement, gender and Climate Change, economics of social infrastructure with focus on issues of intersectionality – where gender, human development and social justice meet.