Akshi Bajaj

Dr Akshi Bajaj is an economist specialising in water governance and environmental economics. She holds a PhD from IIT Roorkee, with research focused on groundwater markets, irrigation management, and institutional governance in Western Uttar Pradesh. Her work combines applied economic theory with field-based econometric analysis to examine sustainability challenges in resource use.

Her research is published in Scopus-indexed Q1 journals, and she contributes to interdisciplinary work on water policy, rural development, and environmental sustainability.

Dr Bajaj previously served as Assistant Professor at Banasthali Vidyapith for approximately 2.5 years, teaching microeconomics, macroeconomics, and managerial economics. At UPES, she teaches interdisciplinary courses including Law and Economics, Digital Economy, Global Context of Business, and Business Environment across BBA, MBA, and BA LLB programs.

She has also served as a Teaching Assistant for the NPTEL course “Introduction to Environmental Economics” and contributed to research and training at the Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI), Patna.

Water governance; irrigation water management; resource economics; environmental policy; non-market valuation; rural development.

Her teaching focuses on conceptual clarity and active engagement. She integrates activity-based learning, discussions, and real-world applications to help students connect economic theory with practice. Her approach emphasises critical thinking and encourages students to apply economic reasoning across business and policy contexts.

Microeconomics; Macroeconomics; Managerial Economics; Law and Economics; Digital Economy; Global Context of Business; Business Environment.

• UGC-NET JRF in Economics (2016) Gold Medal for first rank in M.A.
• Economics Vishisth Yogyata Praman Patra Best Water Auditor, Green Skill
• Development Programme (GSDP), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Dr Bajaj’s research focuses on groundwater governance and policy design, drawing on primary field data and community-level analysis. Her work has been published in journals such as Agricultural Water Management and Groundwater for Sustainable Development.

She has presented at national and international forums including IIT Roorkee, Carleton University (Canada), and the Indian Economic Association. She has served as a resource person for ICSSR Research Methodology workshops and contributed to training programmes at ADRI. She also reviews for journals such as Agricultural Water Management, Sustainable Cities and Society, and Sustainability Science.

akshi.bajaj@ddn.upes.ac.in