Sameer Akbar is a Senior Environmental Specialist with the World Bank in the East Asia and Pacific region. He joined the World Bank in 1998 after having worked in academia in the UK, and with an international NGO in India. Since September 2024 he is based in Songdo, Republic of Korea. Before that he was based in Vienna, Washington DC, and New Delhi. During his career at the World Bank, Sameer has worked in South Asia, Africa, Middle East, and Europe and Central Asia. He has worked on technical assistance, investment lending, and development policy lending projects in the areas of green growth, clean air, land remediation, circular economy, and climate mitigation and adaptation. Over the years he has contrib­ uted to more than twenty publications, supported seventy lending operations, and provided advisory services to countries in the EU and the Middle East for the World Bank.

Sameer holds a BS in mechanical engineering from India, a MS in aerospace and mechanical engineering from the USA, and a PhD in environmental health and public policy from the UK.