Awanish Kumar

Dr. Awanish Kumar is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Edinburgh (since April 2023) and an Assistant Professor at Azim Premji University’s School of Development (since July 2023). Previously, he served as a British Academy Newton International Fellow at Edinburgh (March 2021–March 2023) and held roles at St Xavier’s College, Mumbai, and as a Consulting Editor for Economic and Political Weekly. His research focuses on development studies, political economy, caste, land reform, and public health in India, with a specialization in village-level fieldwork in Maharashtra, Bihar, Punjab, and Jharkhand.

Education includes a PhD in Development Studies from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (2012–2019), followed by an MPhil (2010–2012), MA (2007–2009), and BA in Economics (2004–2007). He also holds a Certificate of Specialization in Sustainable Development from the International Graduate School North-South.

His current work includes a monograph under contract with Oxford University Press via the British Academy Monograph Series. Key research themes include caste and class dynamics, agrarian crises, and social policy. He has published widely on topics such as agricultural insurance, land redistribution, and the intersections of caste with public health and migration.

Awards include the British Academy Newton International Fellowship. His interdisciplinary approach bridges political economy and sociology, with a focus on empirical village studies to address development challenges in India.