About Dr. Dorji Penjore

Dr. Dorji Penjore is a Bhutanese scholar and researcher specializing in anthropology, development studies, Gross National Happiness (GNH), governance, and social science research. He holds both a Master’s and PhD in Anthropology from The Australian National University (ANU).
With over two decades of research and academic experience, he currently heads the Centre for Research & Innovation (CRI) at the Royal Institute of Management (RIM), Thimphu—a position he has held since 2024. He also serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Bhutan Journal of Management, a biannual peer-reviewed publication of RIM.
Prior to joining RIM, Dr. Penjore worked at the Centre for Bhutan Studies from 2002 to 2024, where he contributed to the study of Bhutanese culture, decentralization, governance, and GNH. His notable publications include Love, Courtship, and Marriage in Rural Bhutan (2009) and Zhidar Matters: The Rise and Fall of a Controversial 18th Century Bhutanese Ruler (2021).
His academic achievements have been recognized with the J.G. Crawford Award for the best Master’s thesis at ANU in 2008 and the Endeavour Scholarship from the Australian Government in 2012.
Some of his academic works are available on his website, A Bowl of Suja: www.dorjipenjore.wordpress.com.