Trained in the discipline of (social) anthropology, I have spent most of my time working with agrarian and tribal societies in South India. This experience – of working with vulnerable communities and seeing gaps in how programs are implemented, has fuelled my curiosity in unpacking the “what works, why, for whom” question. New to the evaluation space, I hope to apply an anthropological perspective to evaluations that are evidence-based. Am passionate about exploring culturally appropriate evaluation frameworks and place-specific theories to inform program design and evaluation practice. I hold a Master’s degree in Anthropology of Development and Social Transformation (University of Sussex) and a Bachelors in Sociology (University of Delhi). When not at my desk, you can find me climbing a rock, running around with a camera or sitting on the floor with my paints!

I began my career implementing and managing large-scale programs with the World Bank before I ventured into the evaluation space. My core interest lies in applying advanced analytics such as National Language Processing and Machine learning techniques to evaluation. Am particularly excited about utilizing evidence to inform and help stakeholders take rational decisions. Am currently completing a Master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (Dual certificate from McCombs School of Business and Great Lakes Executive Learning). I hold a Master’s degree in Rural Management (IRMA) and Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering (Anna University). I enjoy lifting heavy weights in the gym and have won national level medals in powerlifting competitions.

Fuelled by my childhood love for flora and fauna, I started my career working in the natural resource sustainability space. Over time, my interests took on a more varied hue to include issues of social capital networks, STEM education, empowerment and accountability. What has been constant in this journey has been my interest in assessing programs and policies – am either reading about new methods and measures or am working with stakeholders to implement them! My passion lies in working with complex interventions – where hours are spent working with multiple actors in ideating and designing prototypes and setting up evaluation blueprint that fuel large-scale replicable social impact. Any free time I get is spent visiting wildlife parks, watching masala movies and searching for the best double-choco-chip cookie recipe. Am also a self-confessed crossword and sudoku addict.