Mayank's research interests lie at the intersection of human collective behavior, ecosystems, and climate change.

At the Levin Lab, Mayank studies the socio-ecological and co-evolutionary dynamics of integrating loosely coupled human populations on their organizational structures and native ecosystems. He uses a mix of theoretical models and empirical research, to investigate human adaptability to risk across organizational and temporal scales. His research currently focuses on the interaction between indigenous populations, formal States, and markets.

Prior to his time at Princeton, Mayank was a constitutional and civil rights lawyer at the Supreme Court of India. He drafted laws relating to food security, sectarian violence, and the prevention of sexual offences against minors for the Government of India. He also drafted the Indian Bar Council’s code of ethics for lawyers.

Mayank completed a masters in Public Administration from the Woodrow Wilson School in 2014. He was a Wertheim Scholar at the New York Public Library, and consultant for the Open Society foundations before returning to Princeton as a PhD student.