Rahul Nayar
India
Public Policy (MPP), 2014
St Anne's College, Oxford
Funding: Louis Dreyfus - Chevening
After working on information infrastructure and innovation strategy in the Government of India, Rahul graduated as a Master of Public Policy in 2014, focusing on issues related to the political dynamics of public institutions.
He graduated from the University of Cambridge with an MPhil in Technology Policy in 2008 and has a first class degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Madras. He has previous experience working as a research analyst and associate for emerging technologies and investment in technological start-up companies in India.
Rahul Nayar’s work has focused on technology, innovation, and human development, across government, private, and non-profit sectors. He currently leads the Government of India’s AGNIi Mission: an emerging technologies programme under the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser and the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council. The Mission works at the cusp of technological innovation, human development, governance capacities, and enterprise capabilities; working with government agencies, the private sector, and non-profits.
In the Indian government, Rahul previously advised on national digital strategy at the Office of the Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology; designed antifragile governance innovation platforms for the world’s largest rural human development programme, at the Ministry of Rural Development; advised on rural digital services, at the Ministry of Communications; and worked on social innovation financing, rural digital empowerment, and media innovation strategy at the Office of the Adviser to the Prime Minister.
In the private sector, Rahul has worked in emerging technology consulting and venture capital; and on startup-government collaboration in the non-profit sector.
Rahul has served on Indian government expert committees, including as Member of the Expert Group on Information Technology and Cyber Security at the Ministry of Rural Development, and as Member-Convener to the National Innovation Council’s Media Innovation Group.
