
Aritra Moulick and Namrata Mukherjee know what it is like to pack up and leave family and friends to attend school in a foreign country. But luckily, they were able to do it together as a couple. Moulick and Mukherjee are married and both in the UT College of Social Work (UTCSW) PhD program. They started their social work journey together as classmates in their MSW program in India and are now cohort mates in the PhD program. They have been together for over nine years and have been married for four years.
Moulick was originally selected for the PhD program in 2020. However, he had to defer joining the program by a year due to the pandemic. “When Aritra deferred a year, that gave me time to apply to the program,” Mukherjee said. “I was very excited when I received admission. The main reason we chose the UTCSW PhD program was for its QS World University Ranking of being one of the top 500 universities in the world. It was a wonderful decision, and we have not looked back since.”
With his undergraduate degree in commerce and a graduate degree in social work, Moulick brings a knowledge of interdisciplinary collaboration to his research and teaching practices. During his time in India, Moulick gained an appreciation for cultures and perspectives different from his own while working with tribal and marginalized communities in remote rural areas of India. Moulick’s commitment to social justice ultimately led him to a career in social work with a strong focus on health equity and the well-being of rural and indigent communities. “I am dedicated to uncovering the truths that heal nations by transforming data into hope and action for a healthier world,” he stated.
Mukherjee obtained her undergraduate degree in economics and a graduate degree in social work in India. With that, she brings a unique blend of cross-cultural perspectives to the program. Her practice experience of working with diverse communities in India and engaging in community participatory research in the U.S. has enhanced her appreciation for cultures and life-course perspectives that shape her narratives.

“We are so excited to graduate and begin our careers together,” Mukherjee said. ‘We would like to go into academics and advance our work in the U.S. with a cross-national perspective. It’s a really nice benefit doing this together rather than individually.”