Alok K. Bohara
Professor Emeritus, Department of Economics
Emeritus
- Email: bohara@unm.edu
- Office: ECON 1046
- CV: Download PDF
Bio
Dr. Alok K. Bohara is Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of New Mexico, where he served on the faculty for 38 years (1987–2025). He is the founding director of the Nepal Study Center and has built interdisciplinary research and educational initiatives connecting economics with environmental science, public health, sustainable development, and policy innovation.
His scholarly work spans econometrics, environmental and health economics, resilience, and sustainable development, with an emphasis on translating rigorous empirical research into practical solutions for communities and policymakers. Over his career, he has published close to 150 articles, supervised 40 Ph.D. students as chair or co-chair, as well as several honors and master's theses. He has developed internationally recognized programs in experiential learning, citizen science, global field research, and international academic partnerships
Current Intellectual Interests
- Following retirement, Dr. Bohara’s scholarly interests have expanded toward understanding development as a complex adaptive system. His current work explores complexity economics, emergence, adaptive governance, institutional evolution, and the interaction between human behavior, networks, and economic systems.
He is particularly interested in research-informed development design—translating rigorous empirical research into implementable initiatives that integrate agriculture, energy, education, culture, environmental stewardship, and institutional innovation. His recent work also examines how advances in artificial intelligence may reshape economic research, higher education, scientific discovery, and society more broadly.
Selected Resources
Writing and Reflections
• Lessons from My Academic Journey
• Nepal Unplugged – Essays on governance, institutions, public policy, and development. https://nepalunplugged.substack.com/
• Medium – Reflections on science, philosophy, photography, retirement, and lifelong learning. https://medium.com/@bohara1955/from-new-mexico-ghost-towns-to-kathmandus-ancient-kingdoms-794d81d39ca9
Research and Global Engagement
• Nepal Study Center (UNM) – Research capacity building, global field research, citizen science, experiential learning, and international collaboration.
• Himalayan Policy Research Consortium (HPRC) – An international network promoting collaborative research on Himalayan societies, sustainable development, and public policy. https://sites.google.com/view/hprc/home
• Dr. Alok K. Bohara Graduate Research Excellence Award – Supporting excellence in graduate research and mentoring in economics at the University of New Mexico.
