An experimental chemist by training, Akanksha's research at CEEW focuses on solar energy and energy storage. Some of her current projects include modelling viable use cases of behind-the-meter storage for discoms, developing roadmaps to manage minerals in clean energy technologies, and assessing the jobs and skilling requirement to support India's clean energy transition.

Before joining The Council, she was a postdoctoral researcher at ESICB, Kyoto University, where she developed new photocatalytic routes for organic synthesis. Having experienced the influence of national and organisational policies on scientific research, she developed a keen interest in the public policy domain. Akanksha holds a doctorate in Human and Environmental Studies from Kyoto University, Japan. She is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (Hyderabad), where she completed her MSc in Chemistry.

She is an avid table tennis player and ardent Agatha Christie fan.