Dr Ashok IAS is a graduate of Veterinary Science from Mannuthy (1990 batch) who joined the IAS while undergoing research training in Biotechnology in IVRI, Uttarpradesh in 1998. He is also an alumnus of London, Turin and Duke Universities in various postgraduate programmes.
Previously Private Secretary (Chief of Staff ) of Union Minister for Agriculture and Food and Deputy Director and Course Director in the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie.
Dr Ashok had jointly won the best Indian Social Science Research Paper Award in 2009 for his study on Social Exclusion in Madurai (with Dr. Darez Ahmed) from the IDRC Canada and has been an occasional Lecturer to Institute of Social Studies, Hague, National Forest Academy, Dehradun, Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi, Maastricht Business School and School of Government, Pune.
He has been awarded fellowships from Italian Cultural Institute and University of Maastricht. He has published several papers in peer reviewed journals and is a columnist in various national publications in Public Policy matters. He was Executive Director Jalanidhi and District Collector Pathanamthitta earlier in the State.
He also worked as the Vice-Chancellor Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University recently.
