Ashoka University Appoints Dr. Leena Srivastava As Head

Ashoka University today announced the appointment of Dr. Leena Srivastava as the Director and Head of the recently launched Ashoka Centre for a People-Centric Energy Transition (ACPET). The Centre was established in March 2023 with a vision to become a knowledge institution in support of economic growth, energy security and net-zero targets of India and the Global South. In its debut project, the Centre is working on a draft Integrated Energy Policy for India.

Commenting on her appointment, Dr. Leena Srivastava said, "The progress on implementation of impactful, ambitious and sustainable energy interventions for climate action has been limited largely due to the challenges of overcoming siloed approaches to energy transitions. There is an urgency to facilitate greater collaborations within and among different stakeholders from the academia, government, private organisations and the scientific community in order to formulate an integrated approach. It requires identifying and addressing the existing barriers to catalyse progress on actionable energy and climate action. The conception of ACPET is a result of this vision and I am privileged to lead the institution. I am hopeful that it will play a critical role in creating the roadmap for impactful collaborations in this space.”

Dr. Leena Srivastava is currently a member of SDG7 Technical Advisory Group of the United Nations. Previously, she has served at notable institutions such as the National Security Advisory Board (Government of India), Asian Development Bank, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI, Delhi) and The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA, Vienna) in various capacities. She was also a coordinating Lead Author of the 3rd Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report and cross-cutting theme Anchor on “Sustainable Development” for the 4th IPCC Report.

“I welcome Dr. Srivastava in her new role as the Director and Head of ACPET. The Centre will greatly benefit from her leadership, expertise and decades of experience, especially the stellar body of work that she brings from her stints at various important national and multilateral institutions. Under her leadership, the Centre would continue to extensively work towards the goal of helping our country in its energy transition journey, especially in a manner that does not compromise the needs of the most vulnerable groups of our society today,” said Somak Raychaudhury, Vice Chancellor, Ashoka University.

Ashoka Centre for a People-Centric Energy Transition is currently prioritising projects in relevant areas like renewable energy; energy efficiency and conservation, including behavioural change; governance of the energy sector; and energy transition finance, among others, bearing in mind the need for ensuring energy access and security for all. Further, it is paving the way for building robust partnerships with the Indian industry and the Government in generating insights and implementable models for supporting India’s clean growth objectives. It is also in the process of building synergies with relevant academic programs at Ashoka University.