PhD Candidates

Sidhartha Patnaik

Sidhartha Patnaik (Indian national living in Kenya) is a PRINCE2 (Agile Practitioner) qualified, experienced Team Leader and infrastructure and value chain investment expert with around 20 years of experience managing teams and projects funded by international organisations, including FCDO, World Bank, AfDB, African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), European Union, and UN Agencies. His infrastructure expertise spans diverse sectors, including solid waste management, renewable energy, water management, transport, ICT, healthcare, and education. The projects focus on creating economic growth and jobs, tackling climate change, mobilising capital, catalysing private investments, and improving access to infrastructure and quality of life. Sidhartha has successfully facilitated bankable urban investments through private and public capital for climate-resilient infrastructure and value chain projects by developing a pipeline of investment deals at both the PPP level and for growth-orientated SMEs/start-ups for investments.

Sidhartha holds an MBA from Strathmore Business School Kenya and IESE Spain, a Masters in Planning from the School of Planning and Architecture in New Delhi, and a Bachelors of Architecture from the College of Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar, India.

His research focuses on the Role of the Private Sector in Catalyzing Green Industrial Corridors in Africa. He is particularly interested in addressing the significant funding gap that exists for scaling up the sustainable development of cities. Through his research, he aims to explore solutions that enhance urban productivity, create job opportunities, and accelerate economic growth in African cities. By focusing on green urban industrial corridors, he seeks to understand how these corridors can act as catalysts for sustainable development, thereby contributing to broader socio-economic progress.