About

Kaushal Kishore Vidyarthee holds a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in Social Policy from the University of Oxford. He arrived at Oxford in September 2006 as an Inlaks Scholar and joined Wolfson College. He completed his Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Development Studies from the Department of International Development in 2008. Prior to his time at Oxford, Dr. Vidyarthee earned a Bachelor of Planning from the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) in New Delhi, India, from 2002 to 2006. He briefly worked as an urban planner at Design & Development Forum, a planning and architecture consultancy firm in New Delhi. Additionally, he gained valuable experience through projects with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the European Commission during his undergraduate studies.

Dr. Vidyarthee has been associated with the Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojana, a poverty reduction and women’s empowerment initiative of the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust. In this role, he has contributed to the development and implementation of policies aimed at improving the socio-economic conditions of marginalized communities.

He has actively participated in student leadership and welfare initiatives throughout his academic career. At Oxford, he engaged with various organizations, including the Oxford University Student Union (OUSU), the International Students' Campaign, the Oxford International Festival, the Oxford Indian Society, and the U8 Global Student Partnership for Development. He served as the Vice-President (Graduates) of OUSU, a full-time sabbatical officer, during the 2008-09 academic year. He also held the position of International Students Officer, an elected part-time executive officer, in 2006-07. During his undergraduate years, he was actively involved with the National Organisation of Students of Planning (NOSPLAN) for three years, participating at various organizational levels.

He has a diverse array of interests, including Hindi poetry, photography, and cricket. He is passionate about traveling and exploring new cultures. Notably, during the summer of 2007, he conducted fieldwork in East Africa, spending over two months immersed in local communities.

Born in 1985 in a small village in Madhepura District, Bihar, India, Dr. Vidyarthee completed his schooling in multiple states, including Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha, at institutions such as Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) Purnea, JNV Keonjhar, and JVM Ranchi. He married Swati Saxena in 2012.