Maria Celine Liya

Assistant Professor - Senior Scale

Dr. Maria Celine Liya is an Assistant Professor (Senior Scale) in DLHS at MAHE, Bengaluru. A behavioural scientist, educator, and mental health professional, she brings 13 years of interdisciplinary experience spanning mental health services, education, behavioural research, organizational leadership, and corporate wellness. She holds a PhD, MPhil, and an MSc (Counselling) in Psychology from Christ University, Bengaluru. Her doctoral research on the psychosocial consequences of traffic congestion led to publications in Q1 and UGC Care-listed journals. She also collaborated with the Department of Physics and Electronics at Christ University on an interdisciplinary project funded through internal grants, later published in a science journal. Dr. Liya began her academic career in 2012 as a Psychology Lecturer at Christ Junior College. She also served as Social Science Association Coordinator and Department Newsletter Editor. She then pursued her MPhil in Psychology, researching body image experiences among the transgender community, which shaped her continued advocacy and therapeutic work in this area and with the community. She later served as Assistant Professor at the Indian Institute of Psychology and 沙巴体育 (IIPR), teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses, supervising dissertations, conducting workshops, and mentoring counsellors. During her PhD, she concurrently worked as Adjunct Faculty at Christ University & IIPR. In industry, she held key leadership positions including Managing Director at Jaico, where she successfully navigated pandemic-era operational challenges, and Regional Wellness Lead at Cognizant Technology Solutions, spearheading data-driven employee wellness programs, leadership development initiatives, and mental health strategies across India. Her interests include teaching-learning, behavioural science, decision sciences, social and organizational psychology, interdisciplinary research, and community mental health.

Department of Liberal Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (DLHS) Bengaluru

Qualification: B.Ed, M.SC, M.Phil, P.hD