Junnarkar, Mohita

Dr. Mohita Junnarkar serves as a Professor and Assistant Dean – Research at Jindal Institute of Behavioural Sciences (JIBS), O. P. Jindal Global University. She has completed her Ph.D. in Psychology from IIT Bombay in 2013 and post-doctoral fellowship in positive psychology focusing on assessment and validation of psychological scales from IIT Delhi in 2015. She has about 9 years of research experience and 7 years of teaching experience. Her key teaching areas are applied positive psychology, psychometrics, adolescent development and cognitive psychology and her research areas are eyewitness testimony, psychometrics, and adolescent development. Currently, in eyewitness testimony she is investigating “how can eyewitness memory accuracy be enhanced and what is difference in neuronal pathways for correct identification and misidentification by eyewitness?” In the field of adolescent development she is seeking answers to “how to identify the early signs of languishing mental health of adolescent at home and in school and how to communicate effectively with adolescents on day-to-day basis so that they flourish? Mohita is a part of several budding organizations such as an Executive Committee Member of the National Positive Psychology Association and a Founding member of the Society of Young Psychologists. She has also conducted several training programs for teachers and Government officials and delivered guest lectures in her area of expertise.

Mohita has presented her research findings at numerous international and national conferences. She has published about 18 papers in national and international peer-reviewed journals in psychometric validation of positive psychology constructs and has about eight book chapters. She has published four (co-authored) books – “Measures of Positive Psychology: Development and Validation” (2016) and “Death Penalty: Perspectives from India and Beyond” (2020) with Springer and “Maximizing Human Potential Through Behavioural Competencies” (2019) with Bloomsbury. Mohita was also instrumental in establishing psychological laboratory during her Ph.D. Three research scholars have been awarded Ph.D. under her supervision. She was also serving as a reviewer for Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology.

Mohita’s teaching journey commenced in January 2007 prior to her Ph.D. She was teaching young social work students. She started co-teaching Introduction to Psychology and Human Cognitive Processes to BTech students at IIT Bombay as a teaching assistant. Subsequently, since 2015 she started teaching as a Full-Time Psychology faculty. She has taught a wide array of subjects such as Research Methods, Cognitive Psychology, Psychology of the Courtroom, Social Psychology, Health Psychology, Positive Psychology at UG and PG levels (Master, M.Phil and Ph.D.).

Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay , An Investigation into Eyewitness Testimony in Indian Context: An Empirical Investigation 2007 - 2013
M.Sc. in Human Development, SNDT University , Psycho-social Adjustment of Adopted Adolescents 2004 - 2006
B.Sc. in Devlopment Psychology, University of Mumbai 1999 - 2004

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