Aug 2025 – Present · 10 mos · Thiruvarur, Tamil Nadu, India · Hybrid

• As a Senior Executive Board Member of the Central University of Tamil Nadu (CUTN), I provide strategic guidance and support in positioning CUTN as a Centre of Academic Excellence. As the Fourth Constitutional Court Member, I also review the administrative and operational aspects of the university including human and financial resources, infrastructure and industry -academia linkages and provide suggestions for further enhancement.

Aug 2025 – Present · 10 mos · Jakarta Metropolitan Area · Remote

• UNESCO-Science Engineering Technology and Innovation Policy Asia and the Pacific Network (STEPAN) serves as a regional collaboration platform for science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy in Asia and the Pacific. Currently, STEPAN has 21 Member Countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, The Republic of Korea (ROK), Timor-Leste, Uzbekistan, Vietnam). Its mission is to help member countries optimize their STI resources to advance national development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Jan 2024 – Present · 2 yrs 5 mos · Kollam, Kerala, India · Hybrid

• As a Professor of Sustainable Development at the Amrita School for Sustainable Futures (ASF) @ Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, I teach doctoral courses related to theory and practice of sustainable development. I also work closely with other schools and campuses of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham across India under the Education for Life (E4Life) Doctoral Programme, a fully sponsored, generous scholarship of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham for students from Africa, Latin America, Middle East and Asia to pursue PhD. This PhD programme is aimed at providing hands on training in community-led sustainable development and train and nurture future leaders from these countries to develop, test and deploy innovations on the ground for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Jan 2019 – Jan 2023 · 4 yrs

• As Head of Exploration, Accelerator Lab, UNDP India, I apply strategic thinking to spot emerging trends in developmental challenges and accelerate learning by exploring multiple solutions in parallel. I am also involved in building strategic partnerships with multiple stakeholders to scale innovative solutions including inclusive business models. Together with other development partners, I explore and pilot co-financing models as well as innovative resource mobilization strategies to augment UNDP's efforts in testing and deploying innovations for accelerating progress in achieving SDGs.

Jan 2007 – Jan 2019 · 12 yrs

• For more than a decade, I worked for the United Nations Secretariat and managed the technology transfer portfolio of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific - Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (UNESCAP-APCTT). I worked towards promoting regional cooperation among countries in the Asia-Pacific region in new and emerging technological sectors such as renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, nanotechnology. I was also instrumental in establishing specialized UN regional cooperation networks for facilitating cross-border technology transfer and knowledge sharing. I have also extensively involved in conceptualising, planning and implementing capacity building programmes at the Asia-Pacific regional level for assisting countries in strengthening their technology innovation systems that can accelerate the progress in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• As part of the United Nations ESCAP team focused on science, technology and innovation, I have contributed to several flagship publications, policy papers and research reports of ESCAP especially in the areas of energy, environment, trade, investment and innovation.

Jan 2006 – Jan 2007 · 1 yr

• As a Science Specialist at the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST), Australian Government, I worked towards enhancing bilateral science collaboration between Australia and India at multiple levels. I was also a core member of the team that managed the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund (AU$ 40 Million), an initiative by the Australian and Indian Governments to increase bilateral research collaborations between India and Australia. As a member of the Australian Government Delegation to the Joint S&T Committee & Joint Biotechnology Committee, I played a key role in the screening, selection and award of collaborative research projects between Australian and Indian scientists under the AISRF. During this period, I also had the privilege of preparing a report on Indian S&T sector for the Australain Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEC). I have also coordinated the visit of Australian Chief Scientist, Jim Peacock to India in March 2007 for various bilateral meetings between Australia and India in the area of S&T cooperation.

Jan 2005 – Jan 2006 · 1 yr · Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh

• As Assistant General Manager (Projects), I coordinated and implemented projects in immunologicals and biologicals sector and also held the portfolio of Assistant Public Information Officer for BIBCOL under the auspices of Central Information Commission, Government of India. I was also part of the negotiation team of Government of India for the commercial transfer of Zinc Dispersible Tablets Manufacturing Technology from France to India.

Jan 2001 – Jan 2005 · 4 yrs · New Delhi (India) and Tokyo (Japan)

• As a Senior Research Fellow at the Microbial Biotechnology Group of the Bioresources and Biotechnology Division, I had focused on biodesulfurization research and attempted to develop a biodesulfurization process for diesel and light gas oil (Japanese LGO). During this period, I was also a Visiting Researcher at the Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan where I had undergone extensive research on biorefining under the supervision of Prof. Kohtaro Kirimura, Laboratory of Applied Biochemistry, School of Science and Engineering, Waseda University. I was successful in developing a process for biodesulfurization of Japanese light gas oil and Indian diesel using a moderately thermophilic bacterium.

Jan 1999 – Jan 2000 · 1 yr

• Taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Microbiology.