Research Collaborative

Who are we

The demand for data-driven and evidence based organization has led to the establishment of the Calcutta Rescue Research Collaborative in early 2020. It comprises a group of international research volunteers from a wide variety of disciplines.  They meet online to generate relevant, well-researched, accountable research protocols buttressed by rigorous methodology and ethical guidance. The main purpose is to provide a structured, accountable, and multi-disciplinary forum to support the burgeoning research work produced by Calcutta Rescue

Dr Esther Sulkers

is the Head of the Research Collaborative. She holds a PhD in Health Psychology and BAs in International Public Health and Pediatric Nursing.  Her current research focuses on the impact of poverty on (mental) health outcomes. At Calcutta Rescue she works on malnutrition and mental health research as well as the ongoing covid-19 study. She volunteered in Kolkata in 1995 and is based in the Netherlands.

jaydeep chakraborty

CEO at Calcutta Rescue

Mayukh Chakraborti

holds a BSc in Mathematics from the University of Calcutta and he is a math teacher at Calcutta Rescue’s School Nr. 10.  At the moment he is responsible for the data collection and supervision for the COVID-19 survey, while  completing a certification course in data analytics. He has been working with Calcutta Rescue since June, 2018.

Dr Marcello Scopazzini

is a specialist registrar in infectious diseases and internal medicine in Edinburgh (UK). He volunteered in Kolkata in 2017 – 18 and led a research project examining the impact of a nutritional intervention programme on reversing stunting in a cohort of children aged under five in Liluah Bhagar. Results of this year-long study have recently been accepted for publication. He was responsible for developing the medical section of the ongoing covid-19 study. 

Maurice Lange

graduated from the University of Oxford with a First Class BA in Human Sciences in 2018. He was the research lead for CR’s Multidimensional Poverty Study, and authored the paper “Multidimensional poverty in Kolkata’s slums: towards data driven decision making in a medium-sized NGO” published in the Journal of Poverty and Social Justice. He worked in Kolkata from March to September of 2019 and has worked for CR Research Collaborative from the UK since then. 

Flavia Hug

holds an MA in Economics and Economic Policy from the University of Zurich. She is responsible for the economical perspective in the ongoing covid-19 study and is the connections to Calcutta Rescue’s media team. Her research interests are in experimental and field economics. 

Jasmijn Loos

is currently doing a master in social psychology at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. She volunteered in Kolkata in 2019 and collected and analysed data for the Multidimensional Poverty Study. She is involved in the mental health research project and is based in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

Dr Marie-Ange Massiani

is based in the metropolitan area of Paris, France and is a specialist in Respiratory Medicine and Oncology at the Institute Curie in Paris. In 1987, she volunteered in Kolkata for the first time and many times since then. She founded the Support Group Calcutta Espoir France. At the Research Collaborative she assists in medical questions and recently revised the questionnaire for the ongoing covid-19 study.

Dr Alan Schamroth

is a London based family doctor with an interest in education who has been working with the CR doctors to develop “continuing professional development” following his two month visit to Kolkata in July 2019. He is doing an MSc in Global Health Policy at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Isabelle Hug

assists the fundraising team as a volunteer. Her role in the Research Collaborative is to keep in mind the financial and fundraising perspective of past, present and future research. She is based in Zurich and has been with Calcutta Rescue for over 25 years. 

Alina Paul

has worked in academic research, public relations and communications for over 20 years. She has worked for several NGOs and international research institutes in Asia and Africa to communicate complex development issues around health, nutrition and livelihoods to different audiences. Alina grew up in Kolkata and wants to use her personal and cultural understanding of the city’s communities along with her development research expertise to support CR wherever possible.

Alexandra Heinrich

is the Volunteer Coordinator at Calcutta Rescue and has been supporting CR’s team in Kolkata as a physiotherapist several times since 2006. She helps the Research Collaborative in finding and preparing volunteers when the need arises and networks with all international support groups. For almost two decades she has been part of Calcutta Rescue Germany.