Qualification

MPhil in Population Studies (First Class first), TU (2012); MA in Population Studies (Gold Medalist), TU (2002)

Training and Professional Course

• People, Politics and Change (self paced), the World Bank Group, Open Learning Campus, completed on Sept 2021
• Ambassadors of Evidence-based Policy: Training of Trainers, Evidence for Policy Design, Harvard Kennedy School, 15-17 March 2017 and Nepal Administrative Staff College
• Sustainable Human Development: From International Frameworks to Regional Policies, Central European University and UNDP, Budapest, Hungary, online course (15 Feb-20 May 2013)
• Training Methods and Skills for Managers, National Institute of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Hyderabad, India (12 November 2012 to 4 January 2013)
• Inclusive Governance, Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok Thailand, 24 Sept - 13 Oct 2012)

Work Experience

• Director of Studies (Faculty of Governance, Public Policy and Development Studies), Nepal Administrative Staff College
• Deputy Director of Studies (Faculty of Governance, Public Policy and Development Studies), Nepal Administrative Staff College
• Faculty Associate, Central Department of Population Studies, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal
• Lecturer, Pokhara University, Nepal

Research and Consulting

• Team Leader, GESI/GRB Survey of Local Elected and Civil Official, 2021/22
• Team Leader, PLGSP Baseline Survey on Quality of Public Service, 2021
• Team Leader, Organization and Management Survey of Sudhurpaschim Province, 2019/20
• Team Leader, Organization and Management Survey of Gandaki Province, 2018/19
• Deputy Team Leader, Federalism Capacity Needs Assessment, 2018/19, with Georgia State University, funded by the World Bank and UNDP
• Team Leader, Nepal National Governance Survey 2017/18, funded by Governance Facility
• Principal Researcher, Political Economy analysis of Post-earthquake reconstruction: Analysis of emerging role of local governments, 2017/18, funded by The Asia Foundation
• Team Member, Political economy analysis of education governance at local level, 2017/18, funded by The Asia Foundation
• Project Director, Backstopping the Capacity Development of Sub-National Governments in Nepal for Improved Service Delivery and Democratization (ongoing), funded by The Asia Foundation
• Team Leader, Institutional Arrangements of Local Units for Local Level Restructuring Commission, funded by IDEA International
• Team Member, Functional Analysis and Institutional Arrangement of the Forest Sector in Federal Setting of Nepal for Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, funded by WWF Nepal
• Team Member, Institutional Arrangement in Federal Setting for Ministry of General Administration, the Government of Nepal 2015-16.

Publications

• Lead Author- Intergovernmental Fiscal Relation: unfolding dynamics and dimension (2021)
• Co-author- Federal Governance System of Nepal: A Synopsis (2021)
• Lead Author - Handbook of Federalism (with reference to Nepal) (in Nepali)
• Political economy analysis of Post-earthquake reconstruction: Analysis of emerging role of local governments, 2017/18
• Political economy analysis of education governance at local level, 2017/18 (coauthor) 
• Public Sector Integrity in Nepal, 2018- Further Analysis of Nepal National Governance Survey 2017/18 (coauthor)
• Quality of Public Service in Nepal, 2018- Further Analysis of Nepal National Governance Survey 2017/18
• Nepal National Governance Survey 2018/18, as Team Leader
• Rethinking Public Service in Nepal: The End-user Perspective in 14^th South Asian Management Forum, 2017  
• Costs of Public Services: How Much Do People Pay to Receive Public Services in Nepal? Team Leader, funded by Nepal Administrative Staff College, 2015.
• Human Sustainable Development: Global Issues in 13th South Asian Management Forum, 2015 
• Poverty in Nepal: Characteristics and Challenges in Journal of Poverty, Investment and Development, Vol 11, available in http://www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/JPID/article/download/21743/21890
• Investing in Young Population: Demand for Young People Responsive Intervention (Co-author), in Journal of Population and Development, published by Ministry of Health and Population, July 2014.
• Research Methods Coverage in Medical and Health Science Curricula in Nepal (Co-author), in Nepal Journal of Epidemiology, Vol 3, No 3, 2013, available in  http://www.nepjol.info/index.php/NJE/article/view/9185.  
• Learning Styles of International Participants of Executive Development Programmes, in Sky Journal of Education Research Vol 1(4), August 2013, available in http://www.skyjournals.org/SJER/pdf/2013pdf/Aug/Pokharel%20pdf.pdf.
• Sexual and Reproductive Health Status of Adolescents and Youth in Nepal, (coauthor) in Nepal Population Journal, published by Population Association of Nepal (PAN), August 2012.

Area of interest

Public policy, governance, state restructuring, demography and social research

Awards

• Best Employee Award, Nepal Administrative Staff College in 2015
• Best Employee Award, Nepal Administrative Staff College in 2013
• Mahendra Vidhya Bhusan Kha
• Tarapad Chaudhary Gold Medal, from Tribhuvan University
• Teacher of the School Award, from Batsyayan Secondary School, Dang in 2001.
• Best Student Award, from ESCOL Computer Education, Dang Centre