Ajay Mathur is Professor of Practice in the School of Public Policy at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
Prior to joining IIT-D, Dr. Mathur was Director General of the International Solar Alliance, ISA (2021-25), The Energy and Resources Institute, TERI (2016-2021) and the Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency, BEE (2006-2012 and 2013-2016). He was also the interim Director of the Green Climate Fund (2012-2013).
At ISA, he started a programme, Solar-X, to identify solar startups regionally, and build their capacity to rapidly expand. He also created national capacity-building centres STAR-C) in member countries, and initiated in-country regulatory changes to attract investment in the solar sector. He also developed the Global Solar Facility to enhance investor confidence by providing guarantees for private sector investment in decentralized solar applications.
At TERI, he spearheaded the move to accelerate action towards a low-carbon and cleaner economy through the promotion and adoption of renewable energy and green hydrogen in the Indian electricity sector, enhancing efficiency in buildings and industry, and promoting environmental quality through institutional and policy measures to enhance air quality across the country, adoption of resource efficiency and waste recycling measures, and biotechnology-based solutions, especially for agricultural and industrial environment improvement.
He was co-chair of the global Energy Transitions Commission; and of the Clean Cooling Initiatives of the One Planet Summit
At BEE, he was responsible for initiating its foundational programmes which mainstreamed energy efficiency through initiatives such as the Star Labeling programme for appliances, the Energy Conservation Building Code, and the Perform, Achieve & Trade (PAT) programme for energy-intensive industries, and creating the company Energy Efficiency Services Limited to create the market for energy efficiency in India.
He was a leading Indian and G-77 climate change negotiator from 2006 to 2012, and was the Indian spokesperson at the 2015 Paris climate negotiations.