Ankit Kumar

Dr. Ankit Kumar serves as a Lecturer in Development and Environment at the University of Sheffield's School of Geography and Planning, where his work bridges postcolonial theory, critical development studies, and environmental geography to advance climate and energy justice. His research interrogates power dynamics in energy transitions through cultural, political, and historical lenses, with extensive fieldwork across India and the UK.

His academic journey includes a PhD in Geography from Durham University, an MSc in Natural Resources Management from TERI University, and a BSc in Botany (Honours) from Delhi University. Prior to academia, he worked in carbon finance and renewable energy consultancy across South Asia, grounding his theoretical work in practical energy project implementation.

Kumar's research program centers on three interconnected pillars: critical geographies of energy that examine improvisation and trusteeship in infrastructure maintenance; energy cultures that analyze how light/dark meanings shape planetary energy practices; and postcolonial critiques of 'smart' energy systems that expose how technical solutions often reinforce social inequalities. His work consistently centers marginalized perspectives through anticolonial frameworks.

His publication trajectory reveals deepening engagement with justice-oriented energy transitions, evolving from early technical analyses of solar projects toward sophisticated theoretical interventions at the intersection of Anthropocene studies and postcolonial politics. Recent work emphasizes fluid community solidarities, cultural economies of energy standards, and ethical frameworks for climate-changed worlds.

• Supervises PhD candidates on energy justice in the Global South, indigenous climate adaptation, and climate finance
• Leads collaborative projects with York, Leeds, and Cambridge on India's energy engagements in East Africa
• Integrates fieldwork with teaching through Sierra Leone student expeditions on solar energy impacts

His decolonial pedagogy centers race, caste, and gender in environmental geography curricula while maintaining active ties with energy practitioners to bridge research and real-world applications.