Dr Avienaash E Poovaragavan is a development scholar and sociologist working at the intersections of inequality, entrepreneurship, and environmental change in contemporary India. He holds a PhD and MPhil from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, and an Integrated MA in Development Studies from IIT Madras. He has previously taught in the Department of Development Studies at Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development and has worked on research and policy projects at the Institute of Social and Cultural Studies, Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).

Dr Poovaragavan’s research has examined Buddhist communities and religious dynamics in Northeast India, as well as caste, development, and entrepreneurship in Tamil Nadu. His current research examines just transitions, green energy, local power structures, and community mobilization in Tamil Nadu.