Summary

I am a Professor of Economics and I was appointed as the inaugural Head of School  for the School of Accounting, Economics and Finance at the University of Portsmouth in August 2022. I first joined the University of Portsmouth in October 2021 and served as the Head of Economics and Finance Subject-Group within the Portsmouth Business School until July 2022.

Before joining the University of Portsmouth, I was an Associate Professor in Economics and Head of the Department of Economics at Kingston University from September 2017 until September 2021. At Kingston, I have been the co-lead of the Applied Economics Research Group (AERG). I continue to have an Honorary Affiliation with Kingston University.

Prior to joining Kingston University, I was the Director of Research for Accounting, Finance and Economics at the Aberystwyth Business School, Aberystwyth University. Before taking up the Director of Research role, I led the Economics courses as the Course Director for Economics within the Aberystwyth Business School.

Biography

I hold a PhD from the University of Dundee and an MSc from Lancaster University. I attended Ramjas College at the University of Delhi for my first degree, graduating with a BA (Honours) Economics. I have a strong background in academia with professional research and teaching experience in a wide range of areas in economics and allied disciplines. I also have long and considerable experience of strategic leadership and line-management in Higher Education.

I have published widely in the form of peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, book, discussion papers, working papers, and conference papers and proceedings. I was associated with the World Bank's 'Jobs and Development' initiative at the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), New Delhi, from 2014-2016.

I hold a Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education (PGCTHE) from Aberystwyth University and I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) (now Advance HE). I have acted as an external examiner for taught programmes at several UK Universities. I also have the experience of serving as a panel member at several Internal Subject Review and Course Validation Panels for both existing and new courses respectively across institutions I have worked at. 

Research interests

My broad research expertise/interests lie in the areas of Development Economics and Applied Economics with particular interests on aspects of International Trade, Labour, Productivity, Industrial and Regional Economics and the Economics of SME.

I led two GCRF funded multi-disciplinary projects at Kingston University as PI for knowledge-exchange and impact-generation activities in ODA-DAC countries of focus. The first project was in partnership with REVA University, Bangalore, India (Co-Is: Professor S K Prasad and Professor Mathew Manimala) on "Indian MSMEs' responses to the Covid-19 pandemic crisis" from Jan 2020 until Jul 2021. The second project was in partnership with the Central Bank of Somalia, Mogadishu, Somalia (Co-I: Dr Abdi Ali) on "Somali business responses to a downturn in market conditions" from Dec 2020 until Jul 2021. At Kingston, I also co-led the Applied Economics Research Group (AERG).

I am currently involved in or have recently completed the following externally funded research projects as PI at Portsmouth:

• Structural Transformation and Economic Growth (FCDO/CEPR): Drivers of the spatial pattern of manufacturing productivity in India: Trade policy reforms combined with place-specific policies or trade costs?

• British Council, Going Global Partnership, Top-Up Grant: Addressing skills gap, low productivity and sustainable development issues in Indian agriculture through TNE and international research partnerships

• British Council, Going Global Partnership, Exploratory Grant: Skilling the agriculture sector for jobs and sustainable development through TNE

PGR Research Supervision

I have examined a number of doctoral theses as an external examiner in the UK and abroad. I have also successfully supervised a number of doctoral students at both Kingston and Aberystwyth University.

I am currently supervising one PhD student at Portsmouth, fully funded by a Faculty of Business and Law Bursary. I am willing to supervise suitably qualified and enthusiastic applicants for their doctoral research in the broad area of development economics with emphasis on applied and policy focused empirical work on international trade, productivity, growth and structural transformation, economics of labour markets and economics of SMEs.