Nilesh Lal has research and work focus on democratic consolidation, electoral processes, ethnic relations, development in SIDS and media politics. He has published articles, books and reports on various aspects of elections in Fiji. Prior to joining the civil sector, he worked in academia where he contributed to research and development on adaptive learning systems. Lal possesses a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and a Master of Governance from The University of the South Pacific, amongst his other academic qualifications.