Ashoka University appoints
Dr. Leena Srivastava as head of
new centre on energy transition
Ashoka University 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 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 is currently a member of SDG7 Technical Advisory Group of the United Nations.
Somak Raychaudhury, Vice Chancellor, Ashoka University, “Under her (Dr. Leena) 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.”
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.