2026
Return to Yourself: A 4D Reset Journal for Happiness, Mental Wellbeing, and Inner Balance
Co-author (with Daneshwar Sharma)
Hardcover
Buy on Amazon →
Professor & Director (Academics)
Teaching the economics of a happier, more sustainable world.
Economist, educator, and researcher exploring the science of happiness, student learning in higher education, sustainability, and the future of management education.
Upcoming
9–11 October 2026 · B.M. Birla Auditorium, Jaipur
Lifetime Achievement Award
Global Happiness Forum & Festival Jaipur 2026 · 3rd Edition — South-East Asia's largest happiness event
“A passionate educator, transforming young lives through body-mind-heart-soul resetting.”
Citation on the award
Read the forum story30+
Years teaching
8
Books authored & edited
100+
Public talks & lectures
20+
Countries of fieldwork & keynotes
Engagements, fellowships & writing across
TEDx · Sep 2023
From Struggles to Smiles
Two decades of research on happiness, distilled into a candid TEDx talk at Abhimaan Institute, Jodhpur — wellbeing as a discipline, not a destination.
More talks →“Happiness is not a soft subject. It is the most rigorous question economics can ask of itself — what is growth for, if not for human flourishing?”
— Dr. Prabhat Pankaj
Signature initiative
The Happiness Laboratory
A first-of-its-kind lab at Jaipuria where individuals' energy fields are analysed using Electro-Photonic Imaging. Each participant receives a non-medical report on stress, energy levels across the body, and 7-chakra balance — paired with individual prescriptions that have helped many restore health and reduce stress.
The Lab anchors Dr. Pankaj's credit course on the Science of Wellbeing and Happiness, with pre- and post-analysis tracking student transformation across stress, anxiety, attention and relationships.
Read the story →
Inside the Happiness Laboratory, Jaipuria Institute of Management.
In the press
Degrees for a living, lessons for life: Why universities must teach happiness
Emotional resilience, meaningful relationships and well-being deserve a place alongside academic achievement.
Education Times — The Times of India, New Delhi · 26 Sep 2026
Read the article →“We train them to make a living, but not always to live.”
- 01Teach happiness as a serious, evidence-informed, credit-bearing curriculum — not a once-a-year wellness event.
- 02The UGC's January 2026 guidelines recommend integrating well-being into the curriculum through credit or non-credit courses.
- 03Yale, Harvard, Bristol, Canadian University Dubai and Indian campuses show what works — and where the evidence is still thin.
- 04Design it well: foundational course, repeated habits, trained teachers, and honest outcome data.
Engagements
How I work with institutions
From the lecture hall to the boardroom — five ways my work meets the world.
01
Keynotes
Happiness, student learning, sustainability, and the future of management education.
02
Faculty Development
Brain-Informed Learning & Pedagogy, Managing & Teaching Happiness, AACSB accreditation & AoL design.
03
Executive Education
Mindful leadership, managing stress and cultivating happiness.
04
Research Collaboration
Co-authorship on happiness, teaching & learning, household and environmental economics.
05
Media Commentary
Op-eds and panels on policy and the Indian economy.
01 / Research
Areas of inquiry
- 01Happiness & wellbeing
- 02Brain-informed learning & pedagogy
- 03Environmental economics & non-market valuation
- 04South Asian economies (India, Bhutan)
- 05Outcome-based education & faculty leadership
- 06AACSB accreditation & AoL design
02 / Featured books
New & noteworthy
2025
Actions for Happiness in Academics
Co-author (with Daneshwar Sharma & Ashima Agrawal)
Paperback
Buy on Amazon →03 / Speaking
Selected talks
Get in touch
Invite Dr. Pankaj to speak, teach, or collaborate.
Keynotes, faculty development, executive education, research partnerships and media commentary — let's start a conversation.