Komal Prakash

Professor Komal Prakash is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at UPES, Dehradun. Her academic journey is rooted in understanding human development, cognitive processes, and educational psychology. She brings a unique blend of research experience and practical academic administration to her role. She has conducted research on the influence of English language proficiency on parental involvement among South Asian immigrant families in Canada, under the mentorship of Dr. Geva at the ELL Lab, OISE, University of Toronto. Her teaching at UPES encompasses courses on Theories of Personality and Research Protocol Writing. 

Prior to her faculty role, she contributed significantly to academic strategy and student services at UPES, working on accessibility policies and academic advising frameworks. Komal is passionate about applying psychological research to real-world educational contexts, mentorship, and fostering inclusive academic environments.

Professor Komal joined UPES as an Assistant Professor in Psychology in December 2025. Prior to this, she served as an Associate in Academic Strategy at UPES, where she developed frameworks for academic advising and inclusion policies for socio-economically disadvantaged groups. She also worked as an Academic Advisor at Osler Education, Canada, guiding students on course selection, degree requirements, and academic support services. 

These experiences have equipped her with a deep understanding of student development and institutional academic structures.

Professor Komal’s research interests lie at the intersection of Developmental and Educational Psychology. She is particularly interested in Language Acquisition and the experiences of English Language Learners, as well as the role of Parental Involvement in shaping children’s academic outcomes. 

Her broader scholarly interests include Cognitive Development, Social-Emotional Learning, and Cross-Cultural Psychology, with a focus on how these factors influence learning and human development across diverse contexts.

Professor Komal believes that meaningful learning occurs at the intersection of theory and experience. Her teaching philosophy is anchored in creating psychologically safe and intellectually stimulating classrooms where students are encouraged to think critically and connect concepts to real-world applications. 

Drawing from her background in developmental and educational psychology, she emphasizes curiosity-driven inquiry, evidence-based reasoning, and collaborative discussion as pillars of student growth and academic development.

Professor Komal currently teaches Theories of Personality and Writing the Research Protocol at UPES. Her graduate coursework and research background also prepare her to teach courses in Cognitive Development, Social-Emotional Development, Human Development and Education, Cross-Cultural Psychology, Research Methods in Psychology, and Mind, Brain and Instruction.

Professor Komal has demonstrated a strong commitment to empirical research since her graduate studies. As part of her Research Practicum at the ELL Lab, OISE, University of Toronto, she conducted a study investigating the effect of English language proficiency on parental involvement among South Asian immigrant parents in Canada, under the supervision of Dr. Geva, Head of the ELL Lab at the University of Toronto. Her findings were presented as a research poster to faculty members and the Dean of OISE. 

She has completed the TCPS 2: CORE 2022 certification in Research Ethics (Tri-Council Policy Statement). She has also volunteered at the Authentic Learning Lab, University of Toronto, contributing to literature reviews on social identity, gender identity, and related topics. 

Professor Komal is proficient in qualitative and quantitative research methods, with hands-on experience using R, SPSS, and jamovi for data analysis. She is also well-versed in APA citation standards and systematic database searching using PubMed and Ovid.

komal.prakash@upes.ac.in