Surya is a Research Analyst in the Clean Air team at The Council. His work revolves around supporting the transition of Indian households to clean cooking alternatives and mitigating the adverse impacts of unclean cooking fuel on health and environment. Surya particularly takes interest in qualitative research by leading on ground initiatives and engaging with stakeholders.

Surya completed his post-graduation in Forestry Management from Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal. He holds an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from KIIT Bhubaneswar. Prior to joining the Council, he gained professional experience in a leading engineering and construction firm in the country where he worked as a Design Engineer. He was part of prestigious construction projects across diverse sectors, from education to healthcare.

Surya takes special interest in volunteering for social causes and he has nurtured his virtues of patience, compassion and empathy by being part of various CSR and employee engagement activities in his previous workspace. Football remains to be an integral part of Surya and he has represented his university team in various national level tournaments. Cooking and travelling with his friends are his other two passions.