About Me

Born and raised in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) I had an early passion for humanitarian purposes but hardly realized the context in which I was destined to work. It has been a long and unforeseeable journey. After receiving a masters in economics from the University of Calcutta, I traveled to the USA to get a doctorate in economics from the State University of New York. Before my career began at the World Bank in 1992, I taught at the State University of New York, Albany and the American University in Washington DC. At the World Bank, I found myself at the cross roads of professional vista and the global challenges of our times.

As I undertook extensive research on various issues related to development and environment, my work spanned countries such as Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Cuba, Ghana, Guinea, India, Iran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Lao PDR, Madagascar, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Tanzania, Tunisia, Vietnam and Yemen. At present, I am a Lead Environmental Economist in the Environment and Energy Team of the Bank’s Development Research Group, and my current research focuses on climate change, biodiversity conservation and the poverty/environment nexus.

I love to travel around the world, but enjoy living in Washington D.C. and visiting museums and film festivals. I am also an avid reader of fiction and non-fiction, and a volunteer at local soup kitchens.