Dr. Durgesh K. Rai is Associate Professor at Rashtram School of Public Leadership, Rishihood University, Sonipat, Haryana, India. Prior to joining the Rishihood, he worked for Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), New Delhi. He was also associated with Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), New Delhi, and National Labour Institute (NLI), NOIDA, Uttar Pradesh. In addition, he has worked as a visiting scholar at German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA), Hamburg, Germany. Dr. Rai has over 15 years of experience in policy-oriented research. He has been involved in a number of studies commissioned by major organisations such as ADB, DFID, ILO, OECD, World Bank etc. He has worked on various research projects related to key subjects like India’s Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), India in the Global Production Networks, Labour Regulations and Growth of Indian Manufacturing, Totalisation/Portability of Social Security Benefits, G20 etc. His main areas of research include international trade and investment, regional cooperation and integration, trade in services, human capital, international migration, labour regulations and cultural economy.

He holds Ph.D and M.Phil from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. He has published articles in journals and authored a number of book chapters and reports. His publications also include articles in newspapers and online platforms. Dr. Rai has presented his research work at various national and international conferences and seminars.