Priyank Hirani is the Associate Director for the Capacity Accelerator Network (CAN) at data.org, where he strategizes and implements initiatives to democratize data skills and enable social impact organizations to be data-driven. Priyank is responsible for distilling a network-of-networks model for data.org to cultivate 1 million purpose-driven data professionals by 2032 globally. He currently leads the design and deployment of data capacity accelerators, starting with hubs in the United States, sub-Saharan Africa, and India. He brings diverse experiences across continents from the fields of water, health, energy, space science, technology, and climate change to this role.
Most recently, Priyank consulted with The Rockefeller Foundation’s Asia Regional Office on aspects of data, technology, and innovation. Before that, he led the University of Chicago’s Water-to-Cloud initiative for four years in India. Priyank received his B.Eng. in Electronics from BITS Pilani, M.Sc. in Circuit Design from Imperial College London, and has worked with the University College London’s space research program. He is also a Young India Fellow from Ashoka University.