Dr. Ritika Saxena is an Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Panchkula, with over thirteen years of academic experience in design, journalism, digital media, and communication. She also serves as the Unit In-Charge, Intellectual Property Rights (UI-IPR), where she oversees institutional IPR initiatives and policy implementation. Her teaching expertise spans User Experience (UX) Design, User Interface (UI) Design, Brand Strategy, Digital Media, Layout and Publication Design, and Journalism. She is committed to creating learner-centric environments that integrate design thinking, technology, and real-world applications to prepare students for the evolving digital landscape. Dr. Saxena's research focuses on digital identity, social media, user experience, communication studies, journalism, and intellectual property. She has guided Master of Design dissertations and actively mentors student research. She served as a Reviewer for National and international conferences. Her research has been presented at leading international forums, including the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), hosted by Tsinghua University, China. She edited the book ‘Advertising, Gender and Social Media’ and has co-supervised award-winning student research recognized at an ICSSR-sponsored international conference. She also developed course content for the MA in Journalism and Digital Media programme at IGNOU and continues to contribute to interdisciplinary research at the intersection of design, communication, AI, and digital technologies. Beyond teaching and research, Dr. Saxena actively contributes to faculty development, academic outreach, and professional capacity building through workshops, expert lectures, and curriculum development initiatives. She has delivered training programmes on user experience, digital tools, and design software for educators and professionals and has served as a jury member for national design awards and as an external examiner for institutions affiliated with Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. Her professional interests include emerging technologies, AI in communication, digital journalism, and design innovation, while her personal interests include writing, music, and exploring the intersection of creativity, technology, and society.