Faculty

Dr. Shweta Wankhede Kulkarni serves as an Assistant Professor of Law at Maharashtra National Law University, Nagpur. Initially she joined the institution in 2020 as a Research Assistant under the prestigious Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Chair, established by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India in the year 2020. Her academic credentials include a Ph.D. in Copyright Law awarded by MNLU, Nagpur in 2026, LL.M. specializing in Intellectual Property Rights from the Post Graduate Teaching Department of Law, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU), and a B.A. LL.B. degree from Dr. B.R. Ambedkar College of Law (BACL), Nagpur. Enhancing her interdisciplinary approach to education and mentorship, she also holds a specialized Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy from the Institute of Psycho Management Studies, Nagpur. Prior to entering academia full-time, Dr. Shweta spent 13 years practicing as an Advocate at the High Court of Judicature at Bombay, Nagpur Bench, bringing extensive litigation experience and practical procedural insight to her academic role.

Her academic interests lie at the intersection of Intellectual Property Rights, Copyright Law, Consumer Protection Laws, and Professional Ethics. While serving under the Chair of Ministry of Commerce and Industry (DPIIT) she has served as a Co-Editor of Intellectual Property Rights Journal of the Maharashtra National Law University, Nagpur. She has assisted in policy-oriented assignments commissioned by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. She has collaborated extensively with key national bodies, including the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Intellectual Property Management (RGNIIPM) and the Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM). She contributed in the DPIIT- assigned project on the ‘Economic Impact Assessment of Geographical Indications (GI) in Maharashtra’ and one pilot project on an ‘Empirical Study of GI in Maharashtra’, and actively participated in field outreach event at the Turmeric Farmers and Exporters Meet at Girad in Wardha district.

Dr. Shweta has consistently represented the DPIIT-IPR Chair, MNLU, Nagpur on prestigious national and international platforms. She represented the DPIIT during the 108th Indian Science Congress hosted at RTMNU, Nagpur, and served as a member of the Co-coordination Committee for the WIPO-India Summer School across two consecutive editions in 2021 and 2022. Beyond her empirical research and editorial responsibilities, she has contributed in coordinating a broad spectrum of academic and community initiatives ranging from national and international seminars, conferences, workshops, colloquium, and round table discussions, webinars, Faculty Development Programs (FDPs), expert lecture series, IP awareness drives and National IP Yatra designed to address evolving challenges in contemporary IP law. Her publications include research articles for various National and International journals.