Dr. Kumar Akhilesh is currently a Senior Research Fellow and Project-Co-ordinater in the Centre, with a specializaiton in prehistoric archaeology, lithic knapping, satellite remote sensing and GIS. He has a B.A. Degree in Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology from the Benaras Hindu University (1998), and obtained a Masters degree in Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology from the Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute, Pune in 2000. His Ph.D. from the Deccan College (2006) was on a : 'Re-examination of the Upper Palaeolithic 'Damin Industries', Bansloi River Basin, Jharkhand', and under the guidance of Professor V.N. Misra, Director (retd.), Deccan College, Pune, India. Qualified under the UGC-NET program, he held an ICHR fellowship for the duration of his doctoral research.

As Co-Director in the project of excavations at Attirampakkam and Prehistoric landscapes of Tamil Nadu, South India, he is currently studying the lithic assemblages from Attirampakkam and other sites in the region. He has planned and designed the science learning laboratory at the Sharma Centre's new project: Kolam Children's Museum, and is currently also involved in design of museum exhibits and landscaping.  He has an interest in ethnoarchaeology and worked on the Paharia shifting cultivators of the  Rajmahal Hills.