My interest lies in tackling forms of discrimination, from norms that tighten the mobility and agency of women as well as those with more vulnerable social statuses, using psychological theories that offer a sweet spot for shifting collective beliefs to change behaviour. The power of social and physical environments excite me, and I am drawn to questions of preferences based on identity and community influence. Specifically, I spend time thinking about the broader systems that social norms exist within and methods to assess how behaviour in real world settings are conditional on the strength of that influence. My hope is to bring this type of social science research closer to policy relevance, in working towards inclusive development and societal change. 

At Busara, I have researched and applied behavioural science to questions that bear on education, labour participation, reproductive health, and environmental issues. My substantive work here includes diagnosing the social norm system that prevent equal opportunities for the girl child in education and employment, and using insights to design interventions in India (CIFF); co-conceptualising and executing a lab-in-field experiment to tease out how desirable norm perceptions around contraceptive usage can be formed online using digital media and diffuse to offline communities in Kenya (LSHTM); assessing caregiver motivations to engage in learning-at-home in Kenya (EdTech, Metis & RELI); developing and validating theory-based measurement of social norms about women’s work (GEH – UCSD).

Background: Before joining, I worked at the intersection of behavioural science and technology, leading research for a crowdsourced platform building large-scale digital microfinance opportunities in India. I hold a BSc in Psychology from the University of Warwick and a Masters in Organisational Behaviour from the London School of Economics.

Languages: English (C2), Kannada (B1), Hindi (B1)

Public Profiles: LinkedIn