Ashish Shrestha is a Consultant with the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), where he leads the Integrated Electrification Strategies & Planning program, which supports countries with the preparation of national electrification plans and develops public goods like the Global Electrification Platform and knowledge products such as health facility electrification investment analyses. He also serves as a core team member and technical expert for the Global Facility on Mini Grids, providing advisory and operational to task teams as well as developing a geospatial portfolio planning approach for mini grid deployment. He currently leads implementation of the mini grid component of the Nigeria Electrification Project, and supports the implementation of rural electrification operations in Ethiopia and Sudan. Ashish was previously the coordinator for several World Bank energy access projects in Nepal and a researcher with the Development Economics Research Group, where his research focus was on the nexus of clean energy and climate change, including bio-energy and forest carbon, as well as sustainable transportation. He holds an M.A. in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University and a B.A. in Economics from Hamilton College.