Abhay Pethe completed his Ph.D. in Economics at the Department of Economics, University of Mumbai. Before that, he had completed post-graduate degrees in Pure Mathematics and Economics. He joined the Department of Economics, University of Mumbai as a lecturer and held several other positions, such as Professor of Econometrics, Lakdawala Chair Professor in Planning and Development. He retired as the Dr. Vibhooti Shukla Chair Professor in Urban Economics and Regional Development. He was also Distinguished Fellow at ORF and Senior Resident Fellow at the Mumbai School of Economics and Public Policy (MSE-PP). He was awarded two post-doctoral scholarships: he was Visiting Fellow at St. John’s College, Cambridge University, U.K. and Fulbright Fellow at the University of Austin, Texas, U.S.A. During his academic career, he has supervised 25 Ph.D. dissertations.

He has held high administrative positions in the University of Mumbai and other educational institutions. He was the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and a Member of the Management Council, of the University of Mumbai. Amongst other things, he was also the Chairman, Campus Development Council, University of Mumbai and member of the Governing Board Academic Council & RC of TISS. He is also on the Board of Studies of various autonomous colleges. He was a member of the Management Board of the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE), RRC of Symbiosis International University (SIU). He currently chairs the Economics Board at WeSchool: Welingkar Institute of Management and Research and is the chairman of the Academic Board of NISM.

He has worked – and continues to work – as a consultant and an expert to Private Sector Organizations, Governmental and International organizations such as the MCGM, MTSU, Government of Maharashtra, Government of India, Planning Commission, RBI, Lincoln Institute for Land Policy, World Bank, and UNDP/UNCHS. He was a member of the Government of Maharashtra High-Powered Committee on Regional Imbalance (Chair: Dr. Vijay Kelkar). He was a Member of RBI’s Housing Start Up Index and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (GOI) Slum Development Index committees. He was also a member of the high-powered committee to look into the Naner Refinery Project set up by RRPCL. He has mentored a World Bank Institute e-course on Sustainable Land Use Planning. He has also been a Senior Consultant/ Advisor to UNICEF Maharashtra, Village Social Transformation Foundation (VSTF), CRISIL India, and IDFC institute (Artha Global). He was invited to be a member of High-Powered Task force set up by GOM regarding the implementation of NEP under the Chairmanship of Dr. R. Mashelkar and is a member of a follow-up Government of Maharashtra Committee on Financial Empowerment of HEIs. He currently Chairs the Advisory Committee set up by the Government of Maharashtra Committee on State Income.

His research interests include Urban Economics, Urban Governance and Decentralisation, and Political Economy. He has published in reputed journals such as to Environment and Urbanization, ASIA , Economic and Political Weekly, Review of Market Integration, and Cities, among others.