About TERI
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), headquartered in New Delhi, is a renowned research organization specializing in energy, environment, and sustainable development. Established in 1974, it was initially known as the Tata Energy Research Institute. In 2003, reflecting its expanded scope of activities, it was renamed The Energy and Resources Institute.
Given its alignment with the goals of Mission Innovation (MI), TERI has been entrusted with hosting the MI 2.0 Secretariat for India, further solidifying its role as a key player in advancing sustainable and innovative solutions.
Program Officers
Dr. Vibha Dhawan
Director General, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
Dr. Vibha Dhawan’s long association with The Energy and Resources Institute dates back to 1985. She has served as Vice-Chancellor of TERI School of Advanced Studies and is a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India. Dr. Dhawan has authored six books and over 50 publications, significantly contributing to scientific research. She is a task force member of National Committees with the Department of Biotechnology and serves on the Networks Strategy Council of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Under her leadership, the National Centre of Excellence in Green Port & Shipping was established at TERI. She has played key roles in the Asia Pacific Consortium on Agriculture Biotechnology and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre. Dr. Dhawan was instrumental in establishing the Micropropagation Technology Park at TERI and developing e-contents for postgraduate biotechnology courses. Her recent research focuses on biofuels. She led the DBT-TERI Centre on Advanced Biofuels and advised the former Chief Minister of Assam on Bioresources and Biotechnology. She has been recognized with multiple awards, including the Woman in Agriculture Award and Social Impact Leadership Award in 2023.
Mr. Sharif Qamar
Associate Director, Transport and Urban Governance Division, at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
Mr. Sharif Qamar has nearly 15 years of experience in transportation policy research and implementation, with expertise in public transport, EVs, freight electrification, transport modeling, and efficiency policies. He holds a postgraduate degree in Economics and is a China-India Visiting Scholar (CIVS) Fellow from Ashoka University. He is also the author of “Clean Transport in India” and oversees TERI’s involvement in the Mission Innovation program.
Dr. Sudhir Kumar Pathak
Dr. Sudhir Kumar Pathak holds a PhD in Energy Systems and their Modelling, in addition to Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Rajasthan Technical University. With over seven years of experience in the energy domain, he has demonstrated expertise in energy modelling, technology assessment, and project coordination. Dr. Pathak currently serves as Project Scientist-III under Mission Innovation 2.0, where he is responsible for managing various missions and supporting strategic activities of the MI India Unit.
Mr. Arun
Mr. Arun holds a Master’s degree from Anna University and was a Senior Research Fellow at IIT Delhi. He is currently a Program Manager at MI 2.0, focusing on the Zero Emission Shipping and Net Zero Industries Missions, MI Think Tank, Sustainable Aviation Fuels, Sunlight to X platforms.
Dr. Nishi Sahu
Dr. Nishi Sahu holds a PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University and has three years of experience working as Research Associate at TERI on clean energy. She is currently working as a Program Manager at Mission Innovation 2.0, where she focuses on the Integrated Biorefinaries (IBM) and Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) mission.
Mr. Kripashankar
Mr. Kripashankar Dhusiya is an MBA graduate from IIT Delhi , and B.Tech in Civil Enginering and M.Tech in Transportation Engineering from NIT Rourkela. He has over five years of professional experience across the EdTech and Management Consulting. Currently, he works as a Program Manager at Mission Innovation 2.0, contributing to the Urban Transition Mission (UTM) and the Affordable Heating and Cooling Discovery Zone.
Dr. Ila Verma
Dr. Ila holds a PhD in Chemistry from IIT Guwahati and a Master’s in Public Administration from IGNOU, New Delhi. Following her doctoral studies, she worked as a Management Intern at the Startup Incubation and Innovation Center (SIIC), IIT Kanpur, where she coordinated projects in clean energy and healthtech. She subsequently served as an Assistant Professor and later as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Polish Academy of Sciences. She is currently working as a Young Professional at Mission Innovation 2.0, focusing on The Net-Zero Industries Mission(NIM) and Sunlight to X (Sun-to-X) initiative.
Mr. Avinash Bharti
Mr. Avinash Bharti holds an M.Tech from MNIT Jaipur in Renewable Energy. He has two years of research experience as a Junior Research Fellow at the Sardar Swaran Singh National Institute of Bio-Energy, Kapurthala, Punjab, where he contributed to the development of India’s National Biomass Atlas, with a strong focus on biomass resource assessment. He is currently working as a Young Professional under Mission Innovation 2.0, where his work to promote sustainable bioenergy in India with a focus on the Integrated Biorefineries Mission.
Mr. Rahul Kumar
Mr. Rahul Kumar holds a Bachelor’s degree in Science from Lalit Narayan Mithila University and worked in the Department of Science & Technology (DST) R&D Division as a project assistant. At Mission Innovation 2.0, he is a Scientific Admin Assistant focused on Building Energy Efficiency (BEE) & Smart Grid.
Ms. Nikita Tank
Ms. Nikita Tank holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Delhi University and is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree. She is serving as a Project Assistant at Mission Innovation 2.0, where her role involves supporting project managers in the planning, execution, and monitoring of the project.