Dr. Shalini Chawla is a Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Aerospace Power and Strategic Studies (CAPSS), New Delhi. She was a research scholar at IDSA, 1999-2002. She worked as a freelance defence analyst from 2003-2005 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. She joined CAPSS in 2006 and focus of her studies is Pakistan and Afghanistan. Currently, she heads the Afghanistan and Pakistan Studies Programme at CAPSS. 

Dr Shalini Chawla received a Commendation and Badge by the Chief of Air Staff in October 2020 for displaying great dedication and professional ability, resulting in praiseworthy contribution to the service. 

She is a Visiting Faculty at the Naval War College, Goa. 

She is a Faculty (PhD Supervisor)  at the National Defence College, New Delhi. 

She is a Visiting Fellow at the Vivekananda International Foundation, New Delhi

She is the Chair of the Pakistan Forum, coordinated by the Vivekananda International Foundation, New Delhi (2025). The group comprises senior members (retd) from foreign services, the armed forces, and academicians. 

She was a part of the Pakistan Study Group coordinated by the Vivekananda International Foundation, New Delhi (2018 February-2024). 

She was a member of the Core Group on Pakistan coordinated by the Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi (2013-2015). 

She is an alumni of the Near East South Asia Centre based at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.

She is a lifetime member of Pugwash India.

She has been a member of Policy Group on Afghanistan   by Friedrich –Elbert –Shifting – India Office (2014-2016).

She was the project head for an ICSSR project titled - Afghanistan: The US Withdrawal and Beyond (2013-2015).  

She has published more than 120 research articles/chapters in national and international journals and books relating to defence and security issues. She lectures regularly at various universities, think-tanks (within India and abroad) and leading institutions of Indian Armed Forces and Foreign Services. 

She is part of Track 1.5 talks and has been actively engaged in bilateral talks between India-UK, India-Russia, India-Afghanistan and India-Pakistan.  

She has authored seven books titled - Pakistan’s Military and Its Strategy (2009), Nuclear Pakistan (2012), (ed.) India’s Sentinel (2014), (ed.) Strategic Advantage of Air Power (2019), (ed.) The 1971 Indo-Pak Air War: Reflections and Projections (2021), (ed.) India’s Neighbourhood: Challenges and Opportunities (2023) and (ed.) Pakistan’s Security dynamics and Nuclear Weapons (2023)