Palak Khanna has joined The Council as a Special Assistant to the Fellow with the Sustainable Food Systems team. Before joining The Council, she worked with the The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) as a Research Associate and Area Convenor, where she focused on advancing policy innovations for green growth, including green public procurement and green budgeting, while engaging with both state governments and businesses. Her work also extended to linking national missions, such as Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), with international platforms and dialogues. Palak has contributed to research on sustainable development goals, climate-smart agriculture,  energy, sustainable agriculture, international cooperation, multilateral reforms, SDG–climate synergies, and ocean governance, and has undertaken impact assessment studies on rural energy access in Jharkhand under a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative. She was also part of the core team for TERI’s flagship event, the World Sustainable Development Summit, where she worked with the Secretariat to manage international stakeholders through Track 1.5 dialogues involving global leaders and policymakers.

Palak holds a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Development Communication and Agricultural Extension from the University of Delhi and is currently pursuing a Post Graduate Diploma in Agricultural Extension from the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad. Her expertise spans behavioural change communication, policy research, participatory communication, rural appraisal, project implementation and evaluation, and the social dimensions of sustainability, including gender, environment, and health.

Outside of work, she enjoys art and crafts, exploring new design trends, discovering new hobbies, reading, travelling, and engaging with people from diverse backgrounds to understand their cultures, values, and ideas.