Dr. Prabhat Rai is a Senior Lecturer at Monash University and specialises in cultural-historical theory and early childhood education. His research interests have been on pedagogical practices that create developmental conditions for imagination, creativity, and conceptual thinking in young children, particularly through play-based approaches. A psychologist by academic training his more recent works have been on transnational and global childhoods and understanding discourse of child development and childhoods in Asia-Pacific.  

Prabhat completed his doctoral studies at the University of Oxford as a Felix Scholar, where he worked on cultural-historical analysis of pedagogical practices in rural India. His leadership work and global academic engagements span India, Bhutan, the UK, and Australia, contributing to a rich and diverse academic portfolio.

He previously worked as Senior Research Fellow at Monash University’s Conceptual PlayLab, where he led pioneering research on digital educational experiments using the Conceptual PlayWorld model. His work has created new motivating conditions for children’s STEM learning in their homes, playgroups, and other non-formal educational spaces. Prabhat has held senior academic and leadership roles, including Assistant Director (Academics) at the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), India, and Consultant (Education Development Specialist) for The Royal Academy (Druk Gyalpo Institute) in Bhutan-an institution developed by His Majesty’s Secretariat in Bhutan.

He has been appointed as an Academic Lead by the Faculty to contribute to the development of Monash Teaching Excellence Academy in India. Prabhat supervises a cohort of doctoral researchers exploring early childhood development, STEM learning, and educational transformation.

As an associate editor for Learning, Culture and Social Interaction and an invited speaker in multiple countries, Prabhat strives to contribute to international discourse on early childhood education, digital research methodologies, developmental psychology and cultural-historical theory.