Tirthankar is a Doctoral scholar in the education programme at the School of Social Sciences, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru. His doctoral thesis, "The “Self in Classrooms”: Exploring Identities through Narratives from Teaching of Social Sciences," focuses on the intersection of education, identity, and social location. This research involves auto-ethnography, critical pedagogy, and narrative analysis.
Before joining the PhD program at NIAS, Tirthankar had gained valuable experience for more than six years in the education sector as a teacher, researcher, curriculum developer, and program design leader in Delhi, Maharashtra and Karnataka. He has worked with government functionaries, educational technology and early-stage social entrepreneurs, contributing to developing innovative educational initiatives.