Professor Vivek Kumar

Prof. Vivek Kumar is a leading academic and systems thinker at the Centre for Rural Development & Technology, IIT Delhi, known for translating deep research into large-scale, real-world impact. As a driving force behind the Abhay Saarthi initiative — supported by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways—he is advancing a human-centric approach to road safety, integrating behavioural insights, field data, and grassroots interventions to improve driver wellbeing and reduce risk on India’s roads.

With over two decades of experience, Prof. Kumar has led 30+ national and industry projects and authored 180+ research publications across environmental systems, industrial sustainability, and public health-linked domains. His work stands out for bridging technology, policy, and last-mile execution—from restoring the Ganga River Basin and advancing zero liquid discharge systems to designing scalable community-driven solutions.

As National Coordinator of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, he has enabled nationwide academia–community partnerships, bringing implementation depth across diverse geographies. His current work increasingly focuses on human factors in mobility systems, including driver fatigue, stress, and behavioural risk—critical but often overlooked dimensions of road safety.

Prof. Kumar collaborates globally with institutions such as Queen’s University, Cranfield University, and the University of Toronto, where he has also served as Visiting Research Professor. His work reflects a consistent commitment to building scalable, interdisciplinary solutions for safer, more resilient systems in India.