Dr. Manish Thapa is a distinguished figure with a multifaceted role. He serves as the
Honorary Consul of Costa Rica in Nepal. He is the Founding Managing Partner of the
Global Equity Fund, Nepal’s first licensed Private Equity and Venture Capital Fund
which invests in startups and growth stage companies. In addition, he holds positions as
a Board of Director at Laxmi Sunrise Bank, and is on the Board of Directors at the Asian
Institute of Management Technology, Nepal Private Equity Association, American
Chamber of Commerce in Nepal (AmCham Nepal) and Nepal Britain Chamber of
Commerce and Industry. Dr. Thapa is also the Executive Chairman of Nepal
Infrastructures Investment Fund (NIIF), investing in critical infrastructure projects in
Nepal. Furthermore, he actively engages in various industry and academic roles,
contributing significantly to international relations and security studies.

Dr. Thapa’s academic contributions span across prestigious institutions worldwide. He
was Head and Professor of Peace and Security Studies at Department of Peace and
Conflict Studies United Nations mandated University for Peace (UPEACE) in Costa
Rica (2015-2018). He is one of the founding members of Department of Conflict, Peace
& Development Studies at Tribhuvan University Nepal (2007-2015). He has served as
Research Fellow in several universities and institutes in Europe and North America. He
was Brown International Advanced Research Institute Fellow at Brown University –
USA (2011), Robert McNamara Visiting Research Fellow at the Department of Peace &
Conflict Research at Uppsala University – Sweden (2009-2010), McGill – Echenberg
Human Rights Fellow at McGill University – Canada (2010), Kroc Visiting Research
Fellow at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre
Dame, USA (2008-2009) and Sauvé Research Fellow at McGill University – Canada
(2006-2007). 

He received his Post-Doctoral Degree from University of Warsaw – Poland (2012);
Doctoral Degree in International Relations from University of Tokyo – Japan (2011);
Master’s Degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from European University Center for
Peace Studies in Austria (2006) and Bachelor’s Degree in Development Studies from
Kathmandu University – Nepal (2003).

He has published numerous books, journal articles and book chapters with leading
publishers and journals. His recent publications are Palgrave Encyclopedia of Global
Security Studies, (Chief Editor), Palgrave Macmillan, 2020; Internal Conflicts &
Peacebuilding Challenges (KW Publishers: 2015); India in the Contemporary World
(Routledge, 2014).