Subodh Kumar, Ph.D.

Subodh joined Compassion in 2025 and leads the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) team, a group of more than 100 staff who focus on using high-quality data to improve child and youth outcomes.

Before joining Compassion, Subodh spent 13 years at Food for the Hungry, where he last served as a senior vice president and oversaw ministry impact, MERL, innovation, data for good and evidence-based learning. He has nearly 30 years of global development experience, including 16 years with World Vision, and has held leadership roles with UNICEF, USAID, Malaria Consortium, and the governments of India, Papua New Guinea and Cambodia.

Subodh has pioneered several MERL methodologies throughout his career, including the use of GIS for plotting polio cases globally, monitoring Malaria in Cambodia, and setting up tuberculosis surveillance in India and Papua New Guinea. He has a Ph.D. in missiology and degrees in mathematics and statistics from the University of Agra.

Subodh’s doctoral research — Measuring Transformational Outcomes of Diakonal Mission — bridges Biblical worldview and impact measurement, offering a unique framework for evaluating transformational development. He has authored numerous papers and is a frequent contributor to global forums on faith-based development.

Subodh and his wife, Mamta, live in Phoenix, Arizona, and they have two adult children. A lifelong cricket enthusiast, he represented India’s national college youth cricket team during his teen years.