Dr Anil Kumar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at IIT Jodhpur, where he leads the Sustainable Cooling, Heating & Smart Energy Systems Research Lab (SHITAL Lab). His research focuses on advanced heat-driven cooling systems, natural refrigerant-based refrigeration & heat pump systems, and the thermal management of data centres & EVs. He also works on smart energy systems integrated with thermal storage, renewable energy sources, and waste heat recovery, using both numerical modelling and system-level experimental research.

Prior to joining IIT Jodhpur, Dr Kumar worked as a Researcher with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on the India Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Cold Chain project, led by the Centre for Sustainable Cooling (CSC) of the University of Birmingham (UoB). He also served as a Technical Project Manager at the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR), an intergovernmental organisation focused on scientific and technical knowledge across all sectors of refrigeration.

Dr Kumar is a recipient of the "Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship" (PMRF, 2020-2023 cycle) for his PhD research and was awarded the "Naik and Rastogi Award for Excellence in PhD Research" (Best PhD Award, 2022-2024) at IIT Bombay. He has authored five journal papers and seven conference papers, holds two granted Indian patents, and has two additional patents filed.