Ankit Chandra

Bio: Ankit is a multidisciplinary researcher working at the intersection of agricultural engineering, entrepreneurship, and policy. His research focuses on water, energy, food, and carbon aspects of irrigated agriculture, particularly within smallholder farming settings. Ankit works with large organizations and early-stage agricultural technology start-up companies. Ankit’s vision is to contribute globally to address climate change impacts through research and engagement, influencing decision-making across public and private sectors.

Ankit holds a master’s degree in agricultural and biological systems engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2020) and a bachelor’s in agricultural sciences with a major in agricultural engineering from Banaras Hindu University, India (2015). Before starting his career at DWFI in 2020, Ankit spent a few years running an agtech startup called Farmanze in India. Additionally, he served as a Program Manager for DeHaat, an agtech startup offering integrated farming solutions in India, where he led agricultural digitization and IoT projects.

Responsibilities:

• Develop, execute, and oversee programs related to entrepreneurship and innovation, regionally and globally.
• Conduct research related to agriculture and climate sustainability focused on water, energy, food, and carbon.
• Design, manage, and implement research and capacity-building programs to support agtech entrepreneurs and startup ecosystems.
• Develop relationships and collaborations with strategic partners within academia and industry.