About

Aastha Mohapatra is an Indian economist, researcher and operatic soprano whose work spans development economics, political economy, public policy and the performing arts. Her independent research has focused on questions at the intersection of business and the state.

She holds an MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Oxford and a BA (Hons) in Economics from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi. Her research experience has included work with the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, the University of Chicago’s Data, Policy and Innovation Centre, the Oxford Department of International Development, and NITI Aayog, Government of India, alongside research and advisory work across South Asia and the Middle East. She is an SDG Impact Lab Fellow (2024) and has contributed to projects spanning poverty measurement, energy transitions and government programme evaluation.

Aastha is a critically acclaimed soprano with over a decade of experience in Western classical music as one of the youngest professionals from India. Her journey in music began with the Mozart Choir of India, an initiative by Pandit Ravi Shankar, Maestro Gerald Wirth, and the Government of Austria. She has since worked with the Lyric Ensemble of Delhi and performed in productions across Asia and Europe, including at Oxford’s Holywell Music Room, the Rashtrapati Bhavan (the Indian President’s Residence), and the India International Centre in New Delhi. Her performances and cross-cultural original artistic work have been covered by various media outlets and independent journalists, including CGTN Europe, The Hindu, The New Indian Express, The Sunday Guardian, and The Oxford Blue. She was a finalist in Akademia France’s Voices of India at the National Centre For Performing Arts in 2018 and in International Art Song Festival 2021 organised by KM Music Conservatory.

Her musicianship increasingly explores the role of music in cultural exchange, diplomacy, education, and peacebuilding, while working to expand the presence of diverse voices within performance spaces.