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I am an Associate Research Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, India, and an Adjunct Associate Professor at Flinders University, Australia. My teaching focuses on Ancient Indian Technologies, Ethnoarchaeology, Experimental Archaeology, Ancient Indian Structures and Hydrology, Perspectives of Indian Civilisation, and the Nagas.

My research specialisation includes Ancient Indian Technologies, Indian Glass and Iron, Northern Black Polished Ware, Intellectual Property Rights of Indigenous People, Sustainable Heritage, Repatriation, and the Nagas of the Naga Hills. Holding a PhD in Archaeology, I have over three decades of experience spanning archaeology, ethnography, ethnohistory, museum studies, and experimental research.

Office: AB 6/337, IIT Gandhinagar, Palaj, Gujarat 382055
Mobile: +91-992283049291, +91-7574802392
Email: kanungo71@gmail.com, alok.kanungo@iitgn.ac.in
ORCID: 0000-0001-7215-4555X

I have delivered lectures on Indian culture, crafts, and indigenous communities at leading institutions across Australia, Bangladesh, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the UK, and the USA. I have authored or edited 19 books, one journal, and over 100 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters.

My field research extends across India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, the UK, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria, and Germany, focusing on the cultural heritage of the Nagas of the Naga Hills and the Bondos and Juangs of Odisha. Immersive fieldwork among these communities has deepened my understanding of indigenous knowledge systems and traditional craftsmanship, linking archaeology, history, anthropology, and science.

I have documented traditional glass-making techniques and material sources across India, with laboratory analyses conducted in India and the USA. Between 2004 and 2009, I directed five excavation seasons at Kopia (Uttar Pradesh) to study the evolution of glass in India, followed by an excavation at the Sorath Harappan and Medieval site of Bhagatrav (Gujarat) in 2014–15 to establish its chronology and cultural context. From 2004 to 2011, I edited 14 volumes of the South Asian Archaeology Series published by British Archaeological Reports, Oxford.

My work has been recognised through numerous prestigious fellowships, including the Scientific Missionary (2024), ICG (2021), SPARC (2019–23), Humboldt (2012–14), Fulbright (2010), Homi Bhabha (2008–11), British Academy (2005), Rakow (2005, 2021), ICHR (2004–06), and the Victoria & Albert Museum Visiting Fellowship (2003). I also lead an ongoing workshop series on the History, Science and Technology of Ancient Indian Artefacts, resulting in reference volumes for future research.

My international training, technological proficiency, multimedia experience, and extensive field experience enable me to contribute meaningfully to research, teaching, and the dissemination of Indian cultural heritage.