Dr. Akhtar A. Badshah was born in Bombay, India and educated at the Center for Environmental Planning and Technology, Ahmedabad (Dip. Arch) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (S.M.Archs.S -1983 & Ph.D. -1993).

Dr. Badshah is the Executive Director of the Digital Partners Institute a Seattle based non-profit organization whose mission is to utilize the digital economy to benefit the poor. At Digital Partners he has been responsible for establishment of the organization and building its core programs in India, Ghana and Mexico, he has also developed and launched the Social Venture Fund and the Social Enterprise Laboratory (SEL) a process to identify, mentor and support innovative efforts that are utilizing information technology to help the poor. Before joining Digital Partners he was a Senior Vice President for Strategic Planning for Non-profits and Government Agencies at Nimbal – an Internet strategy firm – where he was responsible for developing Nimbal’s partnerships with non-profit and government clients and building services for these sectors.  Dr. Badshah is also an Affiliate Professor at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Washington. 

Dr. Badshah has over 20 years of experience as a practitioner, educator, researcher, and development expert.  He has taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Roger William College.  He has worked on projects in the United States, Asia and the Middle East.  He has also consulted with The Asia Society, Environment Canada, Pfizer Inc., Graham Foundation, UNDP, UNCHS (Habitat), UNESCAP, USAID, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, World Resources Institute, World Bank, and other international development organizations.

He is the author of Our Urban Future: New Paradigms for Equity and Sustainability, (London: Zed Books, 1996).  He has also published several articles on megacities and sustainability, urban and community development, and housing in international journals. He has presented papers at international symposiums, and has organized and coordinated several international conferences in the United States and Asia.  He is the winner of the New England Chapter of the American Institute of Architects Awards for a Low-Income Housing and Mentorship Project in Lowell, Massachusetts.

He is the former president of the Lambda Alpha International New Jersey Chapter, an honorary land economic society.   Dr. Badshah is very active in the Seattle area community and serves on various local committees.  He is the Co-President of the PTO of his local school; serves on the MIT Alumni Committee for Puget Sound; and is a member of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), Seattle Chapter.