Rishi Kumar

Dr. Rishi Kumar is an Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Economics and Finance at Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani, Hyderabad Campus.

At BITS Pilani, Dr. Kumar teaches and mentors students across a range of economics courses, including econometrics, applied econometrics, computational methods for economics, and impact evaluation. His academic work focuses on advancing research and policy engagement in areas such as health economics, development economics, policy evaluation, and gender issues. He has also led and collaborated on multiple research projects supported by organizations, including South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics-International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, National Human Rights Commission of India, Dvara Research, Azim Premji University, Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute, and Indian Council of Social Science Research.

Dr. Kumar has contributed to several academic and policy discussions, including panel engagements hosted by the Small Business Initiative for Research and Development, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, the Ministry of Rural Development, and the Government of Telangana, India. Before joining BITS Pilani, he held academic roles at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad, India.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Banaras Hindu University, and completed both his master’s in Economics and PhD in Development Economics from Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai, India.

In recognition of his contributions to teaching, Dr. Kumar received the Inspirational Teaching Award at BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus in 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Contact Rishi: [email protected]