At the Council, Abhishek is primarily responsible for clean cooking related projects. He is also interested in the design of behaviour change related interventions cutting across sectors within the institution. Since 2007, Abhishek’s multi-disciplinary research experience and published work spans 3 Ps: (air) pollution, (behaviour change in) people, and policy (analysis) related to household air pollution in specific and energy access in general.

Abhishek completed his PhD in Resources, Environment and Sustainability from the University of British Columbia. His doctoral dissertation entailed application of classical behaviour change theories in conjunction with large consumer behaviour datasets to better understand clean cooking energy transitions. Abhishek was a postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia University. He led the analysis of the largest clean cooking survey in Ghana and instrumentation related to air quality research. Prior to his PhD, he was Fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). Ther,e he led a major project to create a market ecosystem for improved cookstoves across eight states in India.

Abhishek’s research has appeared in scholarly journals such as Nature Energy (featured on the cover of September 2019 issue), Environmental Science and Technology, and Energy Research and Social Science. His opinion pieces have been published in different platforms such as Nature Human Behaviour, Global News Canada, Hindustan Times, etc. His research findings have been shared widely on social media, including by the Prime Minister of India, and covered in the front page of major Indian newspapers. He has now embarked upon the journey of writing a book on India’s Ujjwala program to promote cooking gas.

Abhishek’s idea of relaxation is good food, long sleep, and loads of fun time with family. He also plays Rapid chess during work breaks.