Director (Research & Strategy), Swaniti Global.

Dr. Sandeep Pai is an interdisciplinary researcher, author, and advisor. At Swaniti Global, he heads the research design and strategic engagement across topics ranging from global energy transition, coal sector dynamics to just transition.

His expertise spans decades of work on the political economy of energy transitions, coal sector dynamics, energy access, and just transitions. Previously, Sandeep worked as a Senior Research Lead with the Center for Strategic & International Studies leading work on coal transitions globally. He was also a journalist with leading Indian newspapers such as the Hindustan Times, writing on rural development, energy transition, and political corruption in India and South Asia. In 2016, he was awarded India’s most prestigious journalism award, the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism award, for his series of stories on corruption in state-owned enterprises.

In 2018, he published his first book on global energy transitions, titled Total Transition: The Human Side of the Renewable Energy Revolution. Sandeep’s views often appear in media outlets such as The Guardian, Times of India, CNN, and elsewhere.

He holds a PhD in resources, environment, and sustainability from the University of British Columbia.