Presenters

Mr Basit Abdullah is a Ph.D.. student at Centre for Development Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Thiruvananthapuram. His research interests are: Employment, Labour and Development, and Youth Unemployment. Prior to that, he worked as Research Assistant to Dr Abhilasha Sahay, Independent Researcher, Ph.D.. (George Washington University). He worked on a series of projects at the intersection of gender and development economics, with a key focus on marriage markets, intra-household dynamics, and gender-based violence.

Mr Md Tuhin Ahmed is a Senior Research Associate (SRA) at the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM). Before promoting to SRA, he worked as a Research Associate at the same organization. He completed his MSS (Master of Social Science) and BSS (Bachelor of Social Science) in Economics from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. He has been awarded Shah A.M.S Kibria Gold Medal and Dr Jalal Alamgir Memorial Gold Medal for achieving the highest CGPA in MSS. His area of research interest includes labour economics, poverty & inequality, energy and power sector and firm-level economics. He is currently working on several research projects as a key team member of the SANEM research team. As of now, he was engaged in 14 more research projects. He worked for the Government of Bangladesh on a project titled “Drafting the Technical Framework of 8th Five Year Plan (FY 2021-2025) of Bangladesh”. He worked with several development partners such as the World Bank Group, Microfinance Opportunities (USA), Nathan Associates Inc. (USA), The Asia Foundation, British Council, Advocata Institute (Sri Lanka), ESCAP etc. For the World Bank Group project titled “Analyze the Impact of Special Economic Zones on Jobs and Economic Transformation in Bangladesh”, he was involved in reviewing of literature, developing an integrated SAM model, simulation design, drafting a report, and analysing survey data. He was intensively involved in sample design, preparing the questionnaire, training enumerators, conducting and executing surveys, survey data analysis, and drafting a report in two more projects entitled “COVID-19 and Business Confidence in Bangladesh: Results from Firm-level Survey” and “Climate-Induced Migration (CIM), is an issue-based project”. He was involved in data analysis and report writing in a research work conducted by SANEM titled “COVID-19 Impact on Poverty Dynamics in Bangladesh: An Analytical Investigation”. He was also a member of the SANEM team in a recent household survey (around 5500 households) conducted by SANEM. In this project, he was intensively engaged in questionnaire design, field supervision, data cleaning, as well as data analysis.

Rafiul Ahmed is working as an intern in SANEM. He is pursuing bachelor’s degree in Economics (Currently 4th year) from Shahjalal University of Science & Technology. He has a research interest in the field of informal economy, development economics and business economics. He has initiated an economics research based platform, Econ Insider in SUST and working as executive director.

Sheikh Tausif Ahmed is currently doing his bachelors from the department of economics, University of Dhaka. He has worked in the Daily Star and Brac Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) as an intern. He has over 3 years of experience in content writing and research work.

Saira Ahmed has been involved in significant research liaison with Monash University, Australia and the Global Trade Center of the Purdue University, USA, both of which have resulted in numerous funded research projects and peer-reviewed publications. At the Capital University of Science & Technology, she is the Director of the Directorate of Sustainability and Environment. She is also supervising research scholars and teaches courses in Microeconomics, Macroeconomics and Environmental Impact Assessment.

Ms Fahmida Akter is a student of the Institute of Health Economics at the University of Dhaka

Mr Syed Rafsan Ali is now pursuing his Bachelor of Social Science in Economics from East West University. His Career Goal is to work as a researcher in research institutes, NGOs who are operating in Bangladesh and grow rapidly with increasing responsibilities. He is also now working as a Research Assistant in Department of Economics of the same University. He has experience of being Undergraduate Teaching Assistant in the same University.

Suraiya Binte Ali is an experienced researcher in the development sector, and research & development executive with a demonstrated history of working in the fintech industry. She is skilled in analytical Skills, communication, youth leadership, organizational leadership, and teamwork. She has a strong program and project management professional skill with a Master's degree focused in development studies from University of Dhaka and an honors degree in Economics from the prestigious Shahjalal University of Science & Technology (SUST).

Ms Iffat Jahan Antara is a Senior Research Associate at BIGD. She joined BIGD in 2020 as a Research Associate in the Gender and Social Transformation Cluster. She is working on the Sustaining Power for Women’s Rights (SuPWR) research project. The main goal of the project is to investigate when, how and why South Asian Women’s power struggles have withstood backlash and succeeded in holding onto their rights. Prior to joining BIGD, she worked as National Consultant for UN Women to develop and adapt training modules to Combat Gender Based Violence. She also worked with Naripokkho as a Project Officer from 2015 to 2017 and helped the team implement action research and advocacy for ensuring sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and adolescents from local to regional level. She completed her Masters and Bachelor from the Department of Women and Gender Studies, University of Dhaka. Currently, she is completing her professional degree “Professional Development Programme for Gender Trainers” from KIT- Royal Tropical Institute, Netherlands. Her research interests include Gender and Sexuality, Gender based Violence, Women’s Economic Empowerment and Women’s Movement.

Mr Md. Raied Arman is a Senior Research Associate at the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) with a Master's in Economics from the University of Dhaka. He specializes in experimental economics, labor economics, and behavioral economics.

Dr Badri Aryal is a Lecturer in faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Pokhara University, Nepal. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Master of Arts in Rural Development from Tribhuvan University. He obtained his second masters in economics from the same institution. He completed his Ph.D.. in rural society from Agriculture and Forestry University, Nepal.

Dr Tanima Banerjee has been working as an Assistant Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, Adamas University, Barasat, West Bengal since February, 2019. Her teaching Fields are: Econometrics- Theory and Application, Microeconomics, Labour Economics and Development Economics. She was awarded Ph.D. in Economics in November, 2021 from University of Calcutta. She completed her M.Phil in Economics (67%) from University of Calcutta, 2008. Before that, she completed her M.SC and B.SC (Honours) in Economics from Presidency College (University of Calcutta). Her Research interests are Development Economics, Labour Economics, Econometrics – Applications.

Ms. Nibha Bharti is a Research Associate at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT). Prior to that, she worked as a Research Assistant at ICRIER. She got her MSc degree in International Business Economics and Finance from Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics.

Dr Raghu Bir Bista, is an Associate Professor of Public Finance and Policy Economics at Nepal, Department of Economics, Patan Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal. He is working on disasters and development, poverty issue, climate change and vulnerability, FDI, and trade relations between India and china in south Asia. He is an Economist. He teaches public policy economics of Nepal in MA economics and development economics in Rural Development. Mr. Bista was a member of the editorial board, of the Economic Journal of Development Issues (2005-2008) published by the Department of Economics, Patan Mulitple Campus. Currently, he serves as associate editor in the International Journal of Women Entrepreneurs published by the Institute of Economic Sciences, Belgrade.Mr. Bista currently works as an Associate Professor of Economics at Tribhuvan University, Nepal, and as an editor of Benu Business Review, Benu University, Indonesia. He received Ph.D.. in Economics of climate change vulnerability and household adaptation behavior in Nepal in 2017. His Master of Philosophy (M Phil) in economics was awarded from Jadavpur University, India in 2010, along with training in applied macroeconomics and econometrics, Center for Social science, Calcutta, and CGE, Center for Social Science in Gujarat Institute. He specifically teaches Public Policy Economics of Nepal- Nepalese Economy and Public Finance to Master students in the department, along with mentoring and supervising the research of the students for preparing their dissertation. In research and consultancy service, he has been working on macroeconomics, climate change, and development issues in Nepal and South Asia for 14 years. His clients are DFID, ADB, Swiss Contact, GTZ, UNICEF, UNDP, National Planning Commission, World Bank, and different government offices. In Nepal, he visited more than 50 districts out of 77 districts during his research assignments. In research and publication, he has several peer-reviewed journal papers on economic issues, mostly on development issues, climate change, and environmental economics. In the market, his three books are available in electronic versions and paper packed namely Foreign Direct Investment in Nepal published by CIDS in 2005, Economics of Nepal in 2008 and republished by Hira Books in 2011, and Global Role of Nepalese forest in 2010, 2011 and 2012. He is presenting on "Measuring Vulnerabilities of Trade Blocs during the COVID-19 and Endemic Period in the World".

Ms Komal Biswal is a research consultant and doctoral candidate at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), where she previously earned her MPhil in International Trade and Development. She holds an MA in Development Economics from South Asian University, a PG Diploma in International Environmental Law from Indian Society of International Law, and a BA in Economics from Motilal Nehru College. Her research interests span International Trade, Environment Economics, Renewable Energy, Development Economics, and Econometrics.

Mr Dinamani Biswal is a Ph.D.. Scholar in the Department of Humanities and Social sciences at Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati, with a MPhil in Economics from Utkal University.

Ms Faria Hossain Borsha is currently working as a Lecturer in Department of Economics, Premier University, Chittagong, Bangladesh. She is now a Ph.D.. Fellow. She completed her Bachelor of Social Sciences (BSS) and Master of Social Sciences (MSS) (Hon’s) in Economics. Women Empowerment, Inequality, Child Welfare, Investment and Unemployment are her areas of research interest.

Dr Atreyee Sinha Chakraborty is an Assistant Professor at Gokhale, Atreyee’s primary research interests are international trade, with a special focus on non-tariff barriers. Her secondary focus area is the economics of discrimination, and the reasons behind the persistence of gaps in attainments for marginalized groups. She has written review papers on the history of economic thought and the perception of discrimination by different schools of thought. She is the program coordinator for the M.Sc. International Business Economics and Finance program. She teaches Microeconomics I and II under various programs offered at Gokhale. Behavioural economics and understanding the errors in cognition particularly interest her. She is supervising five Ph.D.. scholars. Atreyee loves reading storybooks, reciting poems, and listening to music. She loves to tread on the balance between her professional and personal life. Her regular practice of yoga helps her a lot.

Dr Amrita Chatterjee is an Indian Assistant Professor at the Madras School of Economics. She obtained her Ph.D. from Jadavpur University in 2011. Prior to that, she completed her graduation and post-graduation in Economics from Calcutta University.

Mr. Saswata Chaudhury is currently a Fellow and Area Convenor of the Integrated Assessment and Modelling Area at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi. He has an MPhil and master’s degree in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He has previously worked with the Indian Council for Research in International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and National Institute for Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP). His area of interest is impact assessment, modeling and forecasting related to energy, trade, and development. Along with policy research, he is well-versed in data analysis and economic modeling. He has prior experience in CGE analysis and NSS data decoding. He also has wide experience in primary survey and multi-stakeholder approaches to research including working with local communities, the private sector, and government officials at all levels including the district and block levels. He has numerous publications in reputed national and international journals. At TERI, currently, he is working on a couple of projects focusing on energy demand forecasting and CGE modeling related to the energy sector.

Dr Pradeep Kumar Choudhury is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India. He also serves as Vice-President of the International Longevity Economics (EIDLL) Network in Paris, France, and as an Associate Editor at Frontiers in Education. Before joining Jawaharlal Nehru University, Dr Choudhury was an Assistant Professor at the Institute for Studies in Industrial Development in Delhi and a Research Fellow at the Public Health Foundation of India in Delhi. He holds a Ph.D.. in Economics from the National University of Education Planning and Administration in Delhi, as well as a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Hyderabad and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Fakir Mohan University in Odisha.

Ms Baishali Lodh Chowdhury is a development sector professional with a strong passion for clean energy transition and energy justice. She is now doing her M.Phil degree from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai Development Studies and completed her M.A and B.Sc. (H) from respectively Pondicherry University and Lady Brabourne College, University of Calcutta. Her key skills include qualitative and quantitative report writing and data analysis. She possesses strong analytical skills and a strong determination to achieve excellent results within fixed timeframes. She is a Detail-oriented and a fast learner with an ability to work well within teams as well as independently.

Ms. Sabarni Chowdhury is pursuing a Ph.D.. in Economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University and has a M.Phil in Economics from the same institution. Her research interests are the economics of growth, development economics, and macroeconomics.

Nimaya is a Research Assistant at the Centre for a Smart Future, and currently working on a sub-regional project on gig work and the platform economy. She is a graduate of Economics and Management from the University of London and has just recently completed her final year examination at the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo. She was part of a team of law students that advanced to the Global Final Rounds of the John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition organized by the European Law Students’ Association (ELSA), having reached the finals of the West and South Asian Regional Rounds in April 2022. At the Global Final Round held in Geneva, the team emerged as one of the top eight teams in the world.

Arpita Datta, a Senior Lecturer at Premier University, Bangladesh, is concurrently pursuing a Doctoral in Health Economics from GD Goenka University in India. Prior to her current role, she worked as a Lecturer at BGC Trust University, Bangladesh. She earned her Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Dhaka.

Dr Adnan M. S. Fakir is a lecturer in Economics at the University of Sussex. He received his Ph.D.. in Economics from the University of Western Australia and he completed his MSc in Economics from the University of Sussex. His research interests are in development economics with a focus on health, political economy, and gender. He has eight years of prior teaching experience as a lecturer at BRAC University, Bangladesh, and at the University of Western Australia. He has also worked as a consultant for the Mind, Behavior, and Development (eMBeD) Unit, the Social Protection & Jobs Global Practice, and the Education Global Practice at The World Bank, focusing on social safety nets, social registries, and female empowerment in Bangladesh. He is presenting on “Health Costs of a “Healthy Democracy”: The Impact of Peaceful Political Protests on Healthcare Utilization”.

Sunetra Ghatak is an Associate Professor at Department of Economics, Faculty of Behavioural & Social Sciences, Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies, Haryana and holds a Ph.D.. in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She served twelve years at many leading think-tanks in Delhi in the field of socio-economic, development and policy-oriented research. She has expertise in the area of Microeconomics, Development Economics, International Trade, Econometrics, and Statistics. She is well versed in quantitative and qualitative techniques with specialization in Econometrics and Statistics as well as has excellent analytical and writing skills. She has contributed several research papers in various prominent national, international journals and edited volumes. She has participated in both international and national conferences to present her works and been invited as a resource person by various institutions to deliver lectures. Her specializations include labour, migration, gender, trade and health-related issues.

Dr Arun Kumar Giri is an Indian Professor in the Department of Economics and Finance at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS). As a Professor of Economics and Finance at BITS, Pilani, Pilani campus, he believes that ‘to teach is to learn twice’. He opts for an interactive teaching style that encourages student participation and enthusiasm while facilitating learning for both. He always likes meeting young minds and gets inspired by the passion and energy they exhibit. He always believes that research and teaching are related and hence correlates research findings with classroom teaching. He prefers to work towards developing syllabi for new courses, and teaching models and techniques to facilitate need-based learning. He received a First class Master’s in Economics, M. Phil in Economics, and a Doctorate in Macroeconomics from the University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad. His teaching and research interest are in the field of Macroeconomics, Financial Economics, Development Economics, and Green and Sustainable Finance. With over 23 years of teaching experience, he is involved in the course and curriculum development and research activities and publishes articles regularly in national and international journals.

Ms Pallabi Gogoi is an Indian Ph.D.. student. She is experienced with a demonstrated history of working in the academia/research industry. She has skills in Secondary Data Analysis, NSSO, Stata, Eviews, Statistical Data Analysis, Data Monitoring, and Econometrics. Currently, she is pursuing Ph.D.. in Health Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Ms. Saba Gulnaz is an Indian Ph.D.. student in the Department of Economics at the Central University of Rajasthan and working as a Senior Research Fellow at the same institution.

Mr. Ekramul Hasan is a Research Associate at the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM). He holds a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Dhaka. His research focus encompasses Education, Social Protection, Poverty, Inequality, International Trade, and Development.

Mr hasibul hasan is a Student at, the Department of Economics, University of Dhaka. His area of interest is Poverty, Vulnerability, and Non-Farm Investment Decisions in Rural Bangladesh. He will be presenting on “Assessing the Consumption Inequality and Patterns of the Middle Class in Bangladesh”.

Mr Sajid Bin Hasnat is a Research Assistant in the Department of Economics and Social Science at the BRAC University.

Bhabesh Hazarika is an Economist at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP), New Delhi. His research areas are public policy, public finance management, development economics, economics of the choice decision, and entrepreneurship. Dr Hazarika has studied at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (Ph.D.. in Economics from Department of Humanities and Social Sciences) and Gauhati University, Guwahati (M.A. in Economics). He has published his research papers in peer reviewed journals like Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Asia Pacific Management Review, Asian Journal of Women's Studies, Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, and International Journal of Social Economics. Dr Hazarika is a member of various professional associations including International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, Southern Economic Association, Indian Society for Ecological Economics, and also a referee of a couple of international journals and conferences.

Mr Md Mahmudul Hoque is a Senior Assistant Secretary (On Deputation), at the Ministry of Public Administration, Bangladesh Doctoral Researcher; Independent Photographic and Documentary Artist. He obtained Doctoral Candidate (by Publications), Coventry University, UK; Topic: Social and Child Labor in Bangladesh (to be completed in May 2024). He completed a Master of Arts in Governance and Development (2015-2016), at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex, His thesis was on the topic: Tobacco Control Politics in Bangladesh. He got the UK Government’s Chevening Scholarship 2015-16. He also did regional (Norwegian) Masters in Journalism, Media, and Communication. In collaboration with the University of Dhaka and Oslo University College, Norway. He got a Master of Social Science in International Relations. Lastly, he obtained a Bachelor (Honors) of Social Science in International Relations the University Of Dhaka, Bangladesh. He was Senior Assistant Secretary (On Deputation), Assistant Director, at BCS Administration Academy, Ministry of Public Administration, Government of Bangladesh, his Main Tasks: Policy Drafting and Policy Research; Training & Teaching at the Academy. He was appointed as Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Public Administration, Government of Bangladesh, and was assigned with the task of Policy implementation through district offices. He was also the Chief Executive, of the Centre of Practical Multimedia Studies (CPMS); his main task was Management, Research, and Documentary Filmmaking. He was also the Director of Media and Mass Communication at an NGO-EKMATTRA Society, www.ekmattra.org; Tasks: Public Relations, Visual documentation. He will be presenting on "Russia-Ukraine Conflict and the Global Governance of Climate Change: A Critical Review of Commentaries and Arguments".

Dr Md Deluair Hossen is a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the University of Tennessee, Institute of Agriculture. His research focuses on international economics, agricultural trade, and the financial constraints of trade. Although trained as an engineer and development policymaker, Dr Hossen previously successfully worked in the banking policy, regulation, and financial intelligence sectors of Bangladesh in the central bank of Bangladesh.

Ms Sugandha Huria is currently working as an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade. She obtained her B.A. (Hons.) in economics from Hansraj College for Women, University of Delhi and her M.A. in economics (with specialization in World Economy) from CITD, SIS, JNU. She further obtained her M.Phil in International Trade and Development from CITD, SIS, JNU, and is a Ph.D.. candidate in CITD/School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Her areas of interest or specialization are international trade theory and policy and foreign direct investment.

Dr Md. Deen Islam is an Associate Professor at the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh. He holds a Ph.D.. in Economics from Boston University in the United States, as well as a Master’s degree in Mathematics and Economics from Western Illinois University. He has also obtained a Master’s degree from the University of Dhaka and a Bachelor’s degree. During his studies, Dr Islam served as a Teaching Fellow at Boston University and a Teaching Assistant at Western Illinois University. His areas of expertise include Urban Economics, Macroeconomics, Development Economics, and International Trade and Finance.

Ms Samiha Islam is currently persuing her Bachelor of Social Sciences in Dhaka University. She has worked an Enumerator in “Initiative to Make Railway Tobacco Free” project in various railway stations including Sylhet, Khulna, Rajshahi, conducted by ARK Foundation in April 2022. She has also interned in South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM) working on the research projects such as "COVID-19 and Business Confidence in Bangladesh," and "Climate-Induced Migration: Identification of Alternative Cities to Dhaka and their Economic Opportunities." She has assisted in developing and translating questionnaires, report writing, policy briefs, and grant proposals, preparing press release and worked as an enumerator at several projects.

Neha Jain is currently working as an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade. She obtained her B.A. (Hons.) in economics from Indraprastha College for Women, Delhi University and her M.A. in economics from Ambedkar University. She further obtained her M.Phil in economics and Ph.D.. in Economics from Centre for the study of Regional Development (CSRD), School of Social Science (SSS), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Her areas of interest or specialization are development economics, applied econometrics and demographic economics.

Ms. Ishika Jaiswal is an Indian Ph.D.. student at the University of Lucknow.

Dr Debajit Jha is an Associate Professor of Economics at O.P. Jindal Global University & founding member of the center for complexity economics, applied spirituality, and public policy (CEASP). He works on empirical macroeconomics. The main areas of his research are empirical growth economics, forecasting, labor migration, etc. He is presenting on “Converging Districts and Diverging States: Resolving the Puzzle of Regional Growth Dynamics in India”.

Ms Sarah Sabin Khan is an experienced researcher in international development e.g. issues related to the least developed countries and the sustainable development goals. She is particularly interested in policy research, development economics and impact evaluation. Sarah previously worked with Swiss-contact and Keystone, a research-consultancy firm. She did her MA in Economics from McGill University, Canada and BBA with dual majors in Finance and Economics from North South University, Dhaka. Ms Sarah Sabin Khan is an experienced researcher in international development e.g. issues related to the least developed countries and the sustainable development goals.

Dr Purna Bahadur Khand is a Nepali Associate Professor of Economics at the Pokhara University Nepal. He obtained his Ph.D.. in Economics from the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, Thailand. He also has an MPhil & MA degree in Economics from Tribhuvan University. His area of specialization is Economics/Econometrics. Moreover, he has 15 years of experience.

Mr Peter Kipkorir is a Ph.D.. student in Agricultural Economics and Resource Management at Moi University, Kenya, who aims to deliver high-quality service with a dedicated and committed approach to work.

Shailender Kumar Hooda is Ph.D.. in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and is currently Associate Professor at the Institute. He has over a decade of teaching and research experience. Previously, he taught at the University of Delhi and Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, and has worked with the National Council of Applied Economic Research and the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi. He works on the political economy of health and healthcare, health economics, financing and policy, the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry, and applied econometrics. He specializes in handling large-scale survey data relating to the Indian economy, and in conducting and designing primary surveys. His writings have appeared in magazines, newspapers, and reputed journals. He has delivered several projects funded by national and international agencies. His recently published book “Health Sector, State and Decentralized Institutions in India” from Routledge has received wide acclaim. He has Research Interests in the Political Economy of Health; Health Economics, Financing & Policy; Pharmaceutical Industry; Industrial Economics; Health and Labor Market Dynamics; Applied Econometrics. He is presenting on “Vaccine Manufacturing Industry of India: Structure, Size, and Competitiveness”.

Prof Somesh K.Mathur received his Ph.D.. in economics from the International Trade division of the JNU in 2005. Prof Mathur has 25 years of teaching and research experience. Prof Mathur’s specialization lies in international trade, applied econometrics, partial and general equilibrium analysis, deep learning methodologies, growth economics, spatial economy, and mathematical modeling. Prof Mathur has at least five books in his name, including one on trade from Palgrave Macmillan and one in Spanish with Ecuadorian collaborators. Professor Mathur has published in journals like Review of International Economics, Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance, Journal of Quantitative Economics, Journal of Economic Integration, Journal of Economic and Policy Analysis, UNESCAP Artnet working papers, The Business and Economics Research Journal, Public Enterprise Journal, The World Economy, Indian Economic Journal, Trade and Development Review, EPW, Foreign Trade Review, Global Economy Journal, among others. At present, Prof Mathur teaches Trade, Econometrics, and Math Econ to graduate and Ph D students of the IIT Kanpur. Professor Mathur is accustomed to using SPSS, STATA, EVIEWS, R, MATLAB, GTAP, SMART, and PYTHON Codes. He has a Research interest in New Trade Theories, Spatial Regression, Gravity Modelling, Trade Growth Accounting, Frontier areas in trade, econometrics, and growth, and Evaluating Regional Trade Agreements. He will present on “India’s Possible Alignment with the RCEP: A Partial and General Equilibrium Impact on Economy-Wide Variables and Carbon Emissions”.

Nagendra Kumar Maurya is an Assistant Professor at the University of Lucknow with a Ph.D.. in Applied Economics from the same institution. He won the Prof. K. Srinivasan Award for Best Technical Paper and has 13 years of teaching and research experience.

Dr Md Aslam Mia is currently serving as a Senior Lecturer (finance section) at the School of Management (SOM), University Sains Malaysia (USM). He holds a Ph.D.. in development studies (research area: microfinance) from the Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya (UM). He completed his Bachelor’s in Economics (major in finance) from International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) in 2013 with a ‘first-class first’ distinction. Dr Mia has actively researched and published numerous articles in ISI and Scopus-indexed journals related to the productivity and efficiency of microfinance institutions, market structure, and urban economics. Among some of the journals he has published are, The European Journal of Development Research, Business History, Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, Journal of Cleaner Production, Social Indicators Research, International Journal of Social Economics, Cities, Quality and Quantity, Economic Analysis and Policy, Strategic Change, Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences and other internationally reputed journals. He also actively serves as a reviewer for ISI and Scopus-indexed journals on an ad hoc basis. Due to his significant contribution in research and publications, he has been awarded “Ph.D.. Candidate with Highest Impact Publications" by ‘University Malaya Excellence Award 2018’. Additionally, he also received the Best student award (in three different categories: overall, academic, and department) during the 29th Convocation of IIUM. To disseminate knowledge to a wider audience and contribute to society, he has conducted various workshops/ training on STATA, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), and how to get published in both public and private universities in Bangladesh, Indonesia & Malaysia. Apart from academia, Dr Mia worked in the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Manila, Philippines as an intern in 2017.

Ms. Asma Ul Hosna Mim is a student in the Department of Economics at Comilla University.

Ms Bhawna Mudgal is an Indian Research Scholar in the Department of Economics at the Central University of Rajasthan.

Ms Farzin Mumtahena completed her Bachelor of Social Science in Economics, at the University of Dhaka. Her research projects include "Learning losses of undergraduate students in South Asia during COVID-19 and its determinants" it was at the South Asian Economics Students’ Meet (SAESM) Group Research Project, “COVID-19, Schooling, and Learning in Bangladesh” done under Rapid Research Response to COVID-19. She will present on “Regional Disparities in Child Poverty: A Multiple Overlapping Deprivation Analysis of Bangladesh”.

Shamima Nasrin is currently working as the Joint Director of Bangladesh Bank. She has completed her Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) in banking from the University of Dhaka. She obtained her second master’s degree in Public Policy and Economics from Hitotsubashi University.

Ms Shreya Nupur is currently a Ph.D.. Student in Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Indian Institute of Technology Patna, India. She does research in Econometrics, Labor Economics and Development Economics.

Mr Dasarathi Padhan is an Indian Ph.D.. student at the National Institute of Science Education and Research.

Ms Shahida Pervin completed her MSc in Economics from the Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) in the United Kingdom, under the British Government's Chevening Scholarship and BSS in Economics from the Jagannath University in Bangladesh with the Prime Minister Gold Medal as a recognition of highest result in the faculty of social science. She is affiliated with the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) as a Senior Research Associate. She is one of the 100 Young Global Changers from 100 countries in the 2017 Global Solutions Summit at the Think 20 (T20) in Berlin, mandated by the 2017 German presidency of the G20. She has worked and published on various issues including women`s economic contribution and empowerment, food safety and security, macroeconomic issues, banking sector, public finance, health, education. She has participated conferences, seminars, trainings, and workshops in different countries. She commented on crucial economic and development issues in public media. Volunteerism produces deliberate social good. She has been involved in various volunteer activities, including but not limited to, tree plantation, anti-drug campaign, movements against sexual harassment, blood donation, private teaching, cleaning beach, English camp with schoolchildren, guiding newcomers in areas familiar to me in Bangladesh, the UK, and Japan. Serving society through knowledge profession and active voluntarism is her passion for the mission of achieving a knowledge-based equitable, peaceful, sustainable, and prosperous society.

Ms Fathima Rakeesa is a Srilankan student in the Department of Business Economics at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

Mr Sourav Mohan Saha is a lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Finance, Co-operatives, and Banking at Khulna Agricultural University with a Master's in Agricultural Economics (Finance) from Bangladesh Agricultural University. He specializes in environmental and resource economics, food security and safety, and behavioral economics.

Abdul Zabbar Sakil is a Research Associate at South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM). He has recently obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s in Economics from the University of Dhaka. His areas of research interest include Food and Resource Economics, Development Economics, and Labor Economics.

Dr Prasenjit Sarkhel is an Associate Professor, at the Department of Economics, and the University of Kalyani. His teaching areas are Development Economics, Applied Econometrics, Microeconomic Theory, and Natural Resource and Environmental Economics. His research interests include Public Economics, Health seeking behavior, Environmental Regulation, and Non-market Valuation. He completed his Ph.D.. from the University of Calcutta and did his post-doctoral research at Virginia Polytechnic and State University, United States of America. He had received research grants from agencies like the University Grants Commission (UGC) India, the Government of Mizoram, and the South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE). He is the recipient of a Raman Fellowship from the University Grants Commission, India. Dr Sarkhel has published extensively in International and National Journals of repute as well as in edited books from Springer and Routledge. Besides academic writing, he also contributes to the opinion piece of editorials in leading newspapers and media on social and economic issues. He is presenting on “Election and COVID-19 Vaccination: The Case of India”.

After completing three years of graduation in Economics from Ramakrishna mission, Vidyamandira, Mr Binay Shankar was looking forward to the research as a career. Hence, pursued M.Sc. in Economics from the University of Calcutta – After that, He served at the University of Exeter as a research assistant for a period of three months. Right now he is serving at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, as a Research Assistant under the Department of Economics. He has also qualified UGC NET Exam with 66%. His field of interest lies in Health, Education, Experimental and Development Economics.

Dr Akhilesh K. Sharma is Assistant Professor at Institute for Studies in Industrial Development, New Delhi since May 2018. Presently, he is working on issues pertaining to the economic viability of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and Social Protection Provisions in India. Previously, he was associated with the Institute for Human Development, New Dering October 2014 to April 2018, and the Institute of Economic Growth, New Delhi from April 2011 to September 2014. In the previous organization, he worked on the impact assessment of social protection provisions in India, the estimation of elasticity of substitution in Indian industries, and the construction of social accounting matrix for India. Dr Sharma obtained his doctoral degree from Banaras Hindu University. He has diversified research interests. His areas of research interest are institutional economics, industrial economics, foreign direct investment, developmental economics, and macroeconomic modeling. He has various national and international publications in these areas. Dr Sharma achieved the international award in the category of young scholars from Alfred Nobel Charity Fund in 2011. He achieved Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Doctoral Fellowship during his Ph.D.. His area of research interest is Small enterprises, the unorganized sector, labor, and employment. He is presenting on “Impact of Pandemic on Firm Performance in India across Size and Sectors”.

Dr Puneet Kumar Shrivastav is an Indian Assistant Director at the National Institute of Labour Economics Research & Development. He received an ICSSR Doctoral Fellow (Economics), at Giri Institute of Development Studies (GIDS) Lucknow and is registered with the Department of Economics, Banaras Hindu University (BHU). Title of his Ph.D.. Thesis: “Skill Mismatch in the Labour Market: A Case Study of Uttar Pradesh”.

Mr Abhishek Singh is an Indian Research Scholar in the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Lucknow.

Ms Zakia Sultana is a student in the Department of Economics at the Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University (MBSTU).

Dr Bidyut Talukdar is currently working as an associate professor at department of economics, Saint Mary’s University, Canada. He has obtained his B.S.S and M.S.S in economics from Shahjalal University of Science & Technology (SUST). Moreover, he obtained M.A in Economics from the University Of Manitoba and a Ph.D.. In Economics from McMaster University. He finds macroeconomics, optimal and fiscal & monetary policy, and international finance as his major source of interest in Economics.

Ms Jyoti Thakur is an Indian Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Social and Economic Change. Prior to that, she worked as a Project Officer and Research Assistant at the Praja Foundation and Tata Foundation of Social Sciences respectively.

Ms Kanthasamy Tharani is a Srilankan student in the Department of Business Economics at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

Afia Mubasshira Tiasha is working as a Research Associate at the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM). Before being promoted to Research Associate, she worked as a Research Assistant at the same organization. She has completed both her Master of Social Sciences (MSS) in Economics and Bachelor of Social Sciences (BSS) in Economics from the Department of Economics, Jagannath University, Dhaka with an outstanding result in MSS. She has secured the first position in the MSS examination in her respective batch. Her areas of interest are International Trade, Health Economics, Environmental Economics and labour market. She has joined as a Research Assistant at SANEM on June 2, 2021. As a part of the SANEM team, she was engaged in several research projects. In the project titled “To conduct costing exercise and feasibility study of a community-led child protection system in Bangladesh in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)”, she was engaged in writing the inception report, documentation, conducting KIIs and FGDs etc. In the project titled ‘’Bangladesh Regional Connectivity Project 1: To explore bilateral and regional trade potentials’’, she conducted KIIs and FGDs as well as assisted in writing drafts of the policy papers. She was also engaged in collecting secondary data and analysis for specific policy papers. Moreover, she was also involved in the project of “Bangladesh Mohila Parishad’’ and assisted in preparing draft write-ups. Also, she was engaged in the “Bangladesh Trade Facilitation: Time Release Study (TRS)’’ project and assisted in preparing the survey questionnaires. Apart from these, she is assisting in writing proposals for several projects. During her student life, she was highly interested in research and co-authored a paper on Remittance and Economic Growth in Bangladesh. Throughout her student career, she was engaged with various voluntary and social organizations and depicted her leadership skills. She hopes of becoming a good academician.

Md. Nadim Uddin is a Lecturer in the Department of Economics at Sheikh Hasina University in Netrokona, Bangladesh. Prior to his current role, he served as a Research Associate at the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM). He holds a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Dhaka. His research interests include Applied Microeconomics, Environmental Economics, International Trade, and Monetary Economics.

Anushka Verma, a Ph.D.. holder in Economics and Finance from Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), currently serves as a Teaching Assistant at the same institute. She earned her M.Com from Panjab University and B.Com in Accounting and Finance from Delhi University. Her area of expertise is ICT Diffusion and Financial Inclusion.

Ms. Sathsarani Weerasinghe is a student in the Department of Business Economics at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and hopes to apply her knowledge and skills in the fields of Business Economics, Finance and Accounting.

Anushka Wijesinha is an Economist based in Colombo and is a Co-founder of the public policy think tank, Centre for a Smart Future. He was previously Advisor to the Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade and the Chief Economist of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. The author acknowledges the contributions made by Nimaya Dahanayake, Research Assistant at CSF, for this article.

Milind Kumar Yadav is currently doing his Ph.D.. at the Department of Humanities of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee. His Ph.D.. work involves the essays on health insurance in India. His Field of research interest are Health Economics and Development Economics.

Ms Pooja Yadav is a Ph.D.. Student in BITS, Rajasthan, India. She worked as a Research Scholar at BITS, the Department of Economics and Finance Pilani, Rajasthan Birla Institute of Technology and Science. She worked in the field of the Relationship between human capital investment and inclusive economic growth. She will present on “Examining the Impact of Water Poverty Index on Human Capital Index: A Case Study of India”.

Dr Bushra Yasmin is a Professor of Economics at Fatima Jinnah Women University. She has a Post-Doctorate in International Economics from Harvard University, a Ph.D.. in Economics from Quaid-i-Azam University, an Mphil in Economics from the same institution, a Master’s in Economics from Islamia University, and a Bachelor’s in Economics and Statistics from Islamia University. Her areas of expertise are Trade and Labor Market Linkage, Open Economy Macroeconomics, and Micro Data Analysis.