Dr. Pankaj Parashar is a seasoned academic and literary critic whose work spans Bhakti literature, early Hindi poetry, modern literary theory, and contemporary fiction. In addition to teaching these subjects, he has guided several PhD scholars and remains an active participant in literary and intellectual discourse. His academic interests extend to Black literature, subaltern studies, Indian classical music, and South Asian politics. Formerly affiliated with Vasanta College for Women (BHU), he has presented at numerous national and international conferences. His critical works include 'Punarwachan', 'Rachna Ka Samajik Path', 'Kavita Ke Prashna Aur Pratiman'(recipient of the Devi Shankar Awasthi Award), 'Vivechana Ke Rang', and 'Salim Ke Shanidev'. He writes in Hindi and Maithili, with notable poetry collections such as 'Samay Ke Akanait', 'Swar-Ujas', 'Vilambit Kaik Yug Mein Nibaddh', and 'Jal-Prantar'. A new Hindi poetry volume, 'Dant-Kathaon Mein Striyaan' is forthcoming.

Dr. Parashar has contributed substantially to literary translation. His translated works include 'Govadh aur Angrez' (Eng.–Hindi), 'Maithili Kavita Sanchayan' (Maithili–Hindi), and 'Herayal Arth' (Punjabi–Maithili), published by Vani Prakashan, National Book Trust, and Sahitya Akademi. A forthcoming translation of 'Claude Lévi-Strauss: Seven Essays' is underway. He has translated poetry by Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Paul Éluard, Rainer Maria Rilke, Saadi Youssef, and Nâzım Hikmet, as well as critical writings by Eberhard Fischer, Haku Shah, and Bruce Chatwin. His meticulous rendering of Namwar Singh’s rare lecture, 'Unneesveen Sadi ka Hindi Navjagran: Yatharth ya Mithak', exemplifies his stylistic fidelity and interpretive depth.

Among other recognitions, he received the Maheshwari Singh Mahesh Granth Puraskar and Yatri Puraskar for his contributions to Maithili poetry, and the UGC Research Award (2016–18). He was an Associate Fellow at IIAS, Shimla (2014–18), and served on the advisory board for Maithili Literature, Sahitya Akademi (2018–23). He is currently affiliated with the GIAN program at AMU Aligarh. Internationally, he has been a short-term fellow (2018) and a Baden-Württemberg Fellow (2022) at the South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg. His academic travels include France, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, the UK, the USA, Bangladesh, and SAARC nations, reflecting the global resonance of his scholarship.