Professor Devika Hazra Earns Cal State LA’s Top Faculty Honor
India-West Staff Reporter
LOS ANGELES, CA – Devika Hazra, an economics and statistics professor, was recognized with the Outstanding Professor Award during the 2025 University Convocation and Investiture at California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) on August 18.
The Outstanding Professor Award celebrates faculty members for significant achievements in scholarly inquiry, professional contributions, and community service. Hazra was one of four faculty members to receive the honor.
An expert in applied microeconomics, Hazra’s research examines the economic and institutional roots of violence against women and marginalized communities. Her projects, which focus on gender-based violence, economic inequality, and structural injustice, have been supported by the Haynes Foundation, Gates Foundation, Bank of America, and the Center for California Studies.
As an educator, Hazra teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics, monetary policy, and development economics. She has also served as a faculty fellow for the Center for Effective Teaching and Learning, where she helped align curriculum with career readiness goals. She mentors students at Cal State LA and through the American Economic Association’s Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession.
Hazra’s leadership roles on campus include serving as vice chair of the Academic Senate and previously as executive secretary. She also co-directed the college’s Financial Fitness Program and led the Gateway to Employment initiative. Beyond the university, Hazra collaborates with policymakers and community organizations as a research fellow with the California Research Bureau and the Los Angeles Economic Equity Accelerator and Fellowship. She volunteers as a certified domestic violence counselor and prevention specialist and as a mediator with the Neighborhood Justice Panel under the L.A. City Attorney’s Office.
A Pasadena resident, Hazra holds a Ph.D. in economics from Texas A&M University.
