Shoba. Uppe is an associate professor at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Hyderabad, with over 23 years of academic experience in fashion and design education with 6 years of industrial experience. An NIFT graduate with a Master of Arts, she recently submitted her Ph.D. thesis. Her expertise spans garment construction, pattern development, design fundamentals, heritage couture, craft-based design, wearable art, bespoke menswear, and design collection. She had several academic and administrative responsibilities at NIFT, including Course Coordinator for Fashion Design and Foundation Programme, ICC Chairperson, CE Programme Coordinator, and recently Nominated as Liaison Officer for the Reservation Cell.

Her research interests focus on Srikalahasti Kalamkari, traditional Indian crafts, sustainable design, traditional knowledge systems, craft documentation, and contemporary applications of heritage techniques. She has written and presented research papers at national and international conferences and has published a number of papers in internationally recognized Scopus-indexed journals. Her research integrates traditional craft practices with contemporary design, sustainability, and design education.
She actively contributes to academic and institutional activities, including student mentoring, admissions counselling, situation test evaluation, industry internships, continuing education programmes, and graduation shows. She is actively involved in curriculum-related and institutional initiatives and promotes craft-based learning and industry–academia engagement. Her professional interests include heritage textiles, sustainable fashion, craft innovation, and contemporary design development.