Aayush Agarwal is a Senior Associate with the Experiments and Evaluation team at our Centre and the Lab Manager of CSBC’s behavioural economics lab at Ashoka University. He specialises in conceptualising, designing, and administering experiments to test the efficacy of behavioural interventions in improving policy outcomes.

His current research includes investigating the role of risk exposure in the formation of social norms of cooperation and the role of beliefs in fatalism in complaint behaviour. He supports CSBC principal investigators and faculty affiliates in investigating the determinants of team behaviour in firms, voting behaviour, and support for climate change mitigation measures.

Before joining CSBC, Aayush worked with the Centre for Experimental Social Sciences (CESS), Nuffield College (Oxford University) and FLAME University’s joint experimental lab. He has experience with survey evaluations, lab, and lab-in-the-field experiments. He holds a B.A. in Public Policy and International Relations from FLAME University, Pune.

Abhishek Pandey is a Senior Associate for the Behavioural Insights Unit of India, NITI Aayog set up in the state of Uttar Pradesh. His work is primarily focused on providing strategic support and technical assistance to improve policy outcomes by generating behavioural solutions across sectors of health, nutrition, education, sanitation, financial inclusion, etc.

He has done post-graduation in public policy from the Indian School of Public Policy and an M.B.A. in development studies from the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India. Before joining CSBC, he worked with Madhya Pradesh SRLM in implementing a centrally-sponsored scheme Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP). His work aimed at developing entrepreneurial activities in tribal/rural areas of Madhya Pradesh. He is extremely fond of research and has published a couple of research papers on development and entrepreneurship.

Akanksha is a Research Associate with the Experiments & Evaluation team at CSBC. Her work includes development of experimental design protocol, field training and visits, quality control checks and project documentation.

She obtained her Master's degree in Neural and Cognitive Sciences from University of Hyderabad. Outside of work, Akanksha enjoys dancing, taking walks, travelling and trying new things.

Aishwarya Shashi Kumar is a Senior Associate with the Behavioural Design and Impact (BDI) vertical at CSBC. An economist and social psychologist by education, she is always eager to learn from multi-disciplinary teams and has worked closely with design thinkers in the past. She uses her experience to tackle human development challenges, primarily focusing on women-centric issues in public health. She enjoys contextualising research tools for vulnerable populations, to identify transformational insights and interventions. Her experience spans India and South Africa, and she hopes to continue exploring the global south.

She has previously worked at FinalMile – a behavioural science and design consultancy – and holds an M.Sc. in Applied Social Psychology from the University of Sussex.

Akhilesh is associated with the organisation’s research vertical and plays a key role in managing the Pop-U.P. Lab—a mobile, tech-enabled field lab for testing behaviorally informed interventions. He collaborates with government institutions and local authorities to implement field experiments and enable evidence-based decision-making. His work includes overseeing field operations, managing large-scale data collection, ensuring data quality, and using technology and analytics to generate actionable insights for decision support. He has contributed to projects supported by the World Bank, Vodafone India Foundation, National Cooperative Development Corporation, and NSE IT Ltd. Akhilesh holds a Master’s degree in Statistics and an MBA from IIM Kashipur, and enjoys trekking and long-distance motorcycle rides across the Himalayas.

Anandita is a Deputy Manager – Research Communications at the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change (CSBC), where she works at the intersection of research, visibility, and strategy. Her role focuses on translating behavioural science insights into public dialogue, institutional action, and system-level change.

With a background in psychology, policy, and applied behavioural science, Anandita brings experience across research, teaching, and policy communications. At CSBC, she leads strategic storytelling and public-facing narratives, supports institutional partnerships, and works to ensure behavioural insights are accessible to key decision-makers—from frontline communities to funders and governments.

Her work is grounded in a belief that rigour, empathy, and systems thinking can meaningfully shift how development challenges are understood and addressed.

Anoushka Sahai is a Research Associate at the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change (CSBC). She has recently completed her Bachelors of Science in Psychology and Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience from University of California, San Diego.

She has previously worked with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), where she contributed to the design and delivery of mental health education programs and developed behaviorally informed content for community outreach and anti-stigma initiatives. She has also interned with Deloitte, where she worked on developing a ranking prediction tool for Indian higher education institutions, and with Lighthouse Communities Foundation on community outreach and skill-building initiatives for underserved youth. At the Comparative Cognition Lab at UC San Diego, she supported research on animal behavior and emotional well-being.

She is particularly interested in the intersection of behavioral science, mental health, and systems design, and in building interventions that translate research into real-world impact.

Anna Paul is a Research Associate at the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change (CSBC), where she applies behavioural science to address climate change. By understanding how people think, decide, and act, she works to uncover strategies that encourage sustainable habits, reduce carbon footprint, and drive meaningful engagement in climate action.

Previously, Anna explored the impact of glucose monitoring devices on health management, identifying biases that prevent individuals from adopting new technology. She also researched the effects of time pressure and choice framing on decision-making during her MSc. Proficient in R and Python, she uses data-driven insights to analyse behavioural patterns and inform effective interventions.

Anna holds an MSc in Behavioural and Data Science from Warwick University and a BTech in Biotechnology from PES University. Passionate about bridging research with real-world impact, she focuses on using behavioural science to drive climate action, influence consumer behaviour, and inform public policy.

Anshika is joining CSBC, Ashoka as a Programme Associate. With over three years of experience in the development sector, she has worked with a range of social impact organisations, building expertise in programme design, management, and strategic communication. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons.) from BBAU Central University. Her keen interest in public policy and governance fuels her long-term aspiration to work at the intersection of research, policy, and programme innovation. Anshika strongly believes in the power of collaborative and human-centric approaches to development.

Outside of work, she enjoys exploring her creative side through singing, painting, and documenting everyday moments through photography and video storytelling, which she sees as a way to stay grounded and inspired.

Astha is a Programme Associate with the Uttar Pradesh Behavioural Insights Unit at CSBC and holds a Master's in Public Policy from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai (2021) and a Bachelor's in Economics from NMIMS, Mumbai (2019). She is deeply passionate about mental health policy research in India and has previously worked as the Founding Associate of a health-tech consulting start-up in Bangalore. She has hands-on research experience, having previously worked with Sangath on multiple projects such as the systematic reviews on The Comorbidities of Alcohol Addiction in Low-and-Middle Income Countries and Understanding Trauma-Related Interventions in Non-Specialised Settings and with PATH on landscaping mental health programmes, policies, and laws for international donors such as Wellcome Trust UK and Fondation Botnar. She served as one of the fifteen Youth Advisory Panel Members from India for the Global Mental Health Data Bank Project funded by the Wellcome Trust UK. She also volunteers her time with Samaritans, a suicide prevention helpline. Astha is a trained Kathak dancer who has a penchant for writing and dancing.

Ashali Bhandari is a Senior Urban Planner with the Encouraging Low Carbon Lifestyles in Indian Cities project at CSBC. She also leads the Future Cities initiative at Transitions Research based out of Goa. A geographer and urban planner by training, she is passionate about developing pathways for equitable and resilient development in Indian cities. In the past, she has pursued her interest in the intersectionality of climate change, women’s access to urban spaces and informal livelihoods through her work in cities in India and Bangladesh.

She has previously worked at the National Institute of Urban Affairs, a think tank for the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and Studio X Mumbai, an architecture and planning studio as part of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation. She holds a Master’s in City and Regional Planning from the School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A in Geography from Middlebury College.

Aastha has more than 15 years of experience in international development and welfare, specialising in partnerships, stakeholder management, government relations and advocacy.

She has worked on many pressing national issues in public health, anti-trafficking laws, gender, and education while holding senior positions at Teach For India, Girl Rising, and Global Health Strategies, to name a few. Over the last decade, she’s led several international multi-stakeholder communication projects involving the state/national government bodies, multilateral agencies, corporates, and academics. At the heart of it, she believes in the collective power of diversity and its role in saving lives.

I hold a BA (Honours) in Psychology from Delhi University and a Master of Arts in Education from Azim Premji University.

I have nearly 10 years of professional experience and have taken up various roles during this time as an educator, consultant and manager in leading EdTech companies. I bring expertise in stakeholder management, content design, people and project management.

I enjoy working with people to achieve common goals by building trust in the process. During my free time, I enjoy reading, nature walks and cooking.

Archana Verma is an Oxford-Ashoka Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change (CSBC), working on a Welcome Trust-funded project in collaboration with the University of Oxford. The project investigates the trade networks of substandard and falsified antimicrobials in India through social network analysis, and analysing their impact on patient outcomes and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Archana is a public health-trained anthropologist with over 12 years of experience in socio-behavioural research. Her work has addressed critical public health issues, including HIV prevention, adolescent reproductive and sexual health, mental health, and the social and sexual networks of key vulnerable populations in India. Her technical expertise encompasses the design, implementation, and analysis of qualitative and mixed-methods research, as well as rapid program assessments. She has led large, multi-centric, and interdisciplinary teams within national and international non-profit organizations.

As a former Fogarty GloCal Health Fellow, she led a community-based study on HPV vaccination uptake among youth living with HIV at St. John’s Research Institute. She is passionate about translating research into policy, with a focus on prevention research and improving healthcare access for underserved communities.

Bidisha Mahapatra is a communication specialist with expertise in copywriting, content creation, and research in the social sector. Originally from India’s eastern coast, she has lived and worked in Delhi, Mumbai, and New York.

She holds a master’s degree in Art and Public Policy from New York University, where she specialized in digital communication for cultural ecosystems. With experience across diverse media formats, she has developed strategies to enhance outreach, build communities, and craft compelling narratives for brands and organizations. Passionate about the intersection of culture and communication, she brings a nuanced approach to storytelling and audience engagement.

Catherine Thomas examines the psychology of poverty and inequality and their potential remedies. Her research endeavours to uncover social psychological processes that undermine the economic mobility of individuals in poverty while simultaneously dampening public resolve to address inequality, thereby perpetuating systems of poverty and inequality. However, she demonstrates how brief social psychological interventions can disrupt these systems. Specifically, her research reveals how paying attention to culturally specific forms of agency and motivation can foster both social inclusion (such as status, dignity, and social support) and economic inclusion (such as economic mobility and support for redistributive policies). Catherine's research aims to pinpoint the drivers of social and cultural inclusion, economic equity, and their interplay. She conducts laboratory and field experiments in the United States and low- and middle-income countries, often in collaboration with nonprofits, governments, and interdisciplinary teams.

Deepak Pradhan joined as Deputy Research Manager in the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change. He works with the Pop-UP lab (Field Empirics) under the Research vertical at the centre. Deepak holds a Master’s degree in Operation from IMT-Ghaziabad (CDL). Before joining CSBC, he worked with Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) in different states and in KANTAR IMRB as a Senior Executive in the project management team. Deepak has a total experience of 10+ years where he worked at KANTAR IMRB with 4+ years of experience in the Market Research industry and 6+ years of experience as an Operation Manager In the Social Research Industry. He sees himself as a Team player with excellent communication skills with the field team, focused on high-quality work with cost & time efficiency, and highly self-motivated. Deepak's hobbies are travelling, watching movies, and spending free time with family.

Deepika is a Consultant – Strategic Initiatives at the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change, Ashoka University. with over 14 years of experience, She is a programme management & implementation expert and has worked across the corporate and development sectors.

Starting in global pharmaceuticals with Novo Nordisk and Accenture, she went on to lead financial inclusion work at ICICI Bank in close collaboration with state bodies, before moving into social development sector.

She has led programs in FLN education, school hygiene, menstrual health, and public health across Uttar Pradesh, working with state governments, district administrations, and field teams to turn policy priorities into ground-level results.

Each sector she has worked in has added a distinct perspective, shaping her into a well-rounded and adaptive program leader.

Deepika is a Chevening Fellow from the Oxford University. She holds a Master’s in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore.

Enrique is a behavioral scientist. He has recently joined the European University in Spain as a Professor of Economics and Director of the newly created Institute for Behavioral Economics. With the support of the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, USAID and the Templeton foundation, Enrique is running field behavioral work to design behavioral public policies in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ecuador, India, Colombia, the United States, and other countries. His current research areas include the behavioral roots of poverty, the financial exclusion of rural women in conflict areas, the discrimination of Venezuelan migrants in Peru, the role played by religious beliefs in gender discrimination, and how educational entertainment (e.g., radionovelas) may effectively fight discrimination.

Ishank Daral is a Senior Behavioural Data Scientist at CSBC and heads the data analytics team at the Centre. Along with supporting the Centre in analysing various public health projects, he’s also working at the intersection of Behavioural Science and Data Science and is leading the Centre’s Machine Learning Initiative to leverage ML and AI as new-age research methods. He is passionate about using data for social good and utilising large publicly available data sources from social media websites. His primary areas of interest in research are focused on wellbeing, health and sanitation.

Prior to CSBC, Ishank worked as a Data Science SME, leading several marketing analytics projects and generating behavioural insights in retail, pharmaceutical, hospitality and CPG domains across multiple geographies. A curious “coder”, he’s also interested in teaching, and has designed and taught data science courses in multiple organisations and at LSE.

Ishank holds a Master’s in Behavioural Science from London School of Economics, and a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from BITS, Pilani.

Jyotika Misra is an Associate with the Uttar Pradesh Behavioural Insights Unit. She is tasked with supporting various behaviour science-informed projects to ensure that the projects are grounded in their local contexts while carrying out intelligence briefings, supporting diagnostic studies, stakeholder engagement and field research.

She completed her MPhil in Development Studies as a Commonwealth Scholar from the University of Cambridge. She also holds a Master’s in Political Science from Jawaharlal Nehru University. Her areas of interest are gender, healthcare, labour, and education. While her research at Cambridge explored the impact of professionalisation of the domestic work sector on the security, agency and organisation of female domestic workers in India, her Master's research endeavoured to understand female participation in vocational education in India through the Industrial Training Institutes of Delhi. With extensive volunteer experience in education and gender, she is passionate about bridging the gap between theory and practice.

In her free time, Jyotika enjoys travelling, exploring new cuisines, music, and cinema.

Jocelyn brings over seven years of experience driving impact across health, education, finance, nutrition, government programs, and emerging technologies. She has led research and strategy projects, combining deep ethnographic expertise with behavioural science and design research. Her work focuses on understanding people and systems from the ground up, whether strengthening public health programs, shaping digital platforms, improving financial inclusion initiatives, or developing AI-driven behaviour science tools. She has collaborated with leaders and organisations across the government, private sector, and global development organisations to design strategies that address complex challenges at scale.

Outside of work, Jocelyn enjoys exploring music, art, and food. She’s especially drawn to indigenous stories, traditions, and flavours, always curious about how culture and creativity shape human experience.

Kavya leverages her education in environmental economics and political science from Mount Carmel College Bangalore and the University of Lucknow to accelerate action addressing intersectional issues of climate, health, and gender. She brings a wealth of experience spanning four years, focusing on developing advocacy strategies, managing stakeholders, and building coalitions.

At Global Health Strategies, she worked on many prioritized areas, such as Tuberculosis, COVID-19 vaccines, Family Planning, and building a conducive work environment for women in the modern age. Her proudest achievement is uniting and spearheading health and climate partners to develop the agenda for the inaugural Health Day at COP28. Kavya began her career advising private equity and venture capital firms on green and ESG investments. However, she soon transitioned to the social impact sector, driven by the cause of bringing attention to overlooked stories and advocating for sustainable change.

Malvika is an Associate with the Visibility Vertical at CSBC. She has prior experience in social media and content marketing. She did her undergraduate in Communication Design and went on to do her master’s in International Public Policy. She has four years of experience in social media, including design and account management. Her hobbies include driving, design, music and art.

Muskan Jain is a Research Associate at the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change, where she is committed to making a positive impact on society. With a passion for addressing the world's most pressing problems, Muskan focuses her efforts on climate change, supporting CSBC's work on adopting low-carbon lifestyles in Indian cities and promoting safety by tackling smoking in Indian trains through a behavioural lens. In the past, she has worked in the area of teenage health and education, where the research focused on understanding the relationship between self-esteem and the sexual and reproductive health of teenage girls and, thereafter, designing interventions to enhance their self-esteem.

Muskan has a strong background in conducting qualitative and quantitative research and project management. She holds a Master’s in Behavioural Sciences from CHRIST (Deemed-to-be University), Bangalore, and an under-graduation degree in Commerce (Hons.) from Hansraj College, Delhi University.

In addition to her work at the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change, Muskan has previous experience in consultancy work, designing surveys, and creating educational content for individuals with special needs.

Muskan is driven by a zest for making a meaningful impact in the world and is dedicated to using psychology and behavioural sciences to address complex social issues. In her free time, she enjoys travelling, cooking, and driving.

Neel Karnik is an Associate with the Behavioural Design and Impact lab at CSBC. He did his graduation from the National Institute of Technology Warangal in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. He did his Master’s in Public Policy from the National Law School of India University Bangalore. His hobbies are reading books and quizzing.

Neerja Agarwal is a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Social and Behaviour Change. Her passion lies in dealing with adolescent mental health issues and improving the executive function of children with ADHD. At CSBC, her work focuses on designing a curriculum that aims to improve emotion regulation among adolescents. She has a PhD in Psychology from Andhra University and has trained as a master practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming and as an Advanced Life Coach. As a Rehabilitation Psychologist, she worked with Tulasi Psychiatric and Rehab Centre, treating substance abuse and other personality and mental disorders. She was a consultant with UNICEF and helped create the guidelines for Adolescent Empowerment Centers across India. Her experience working with various NGOs in the field of Mental Health led her to become a Resource Person in Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan where she trained doctors, ANMs and Anganwadi workers on early identification of developmental disabilities. In addition to her work, Neerja enjoys reading non-fiction, listening to music and making Tanjore Paintings.

Nandini joins CSBC as a Research Associate. She has recently completed her Master of Public Policy from the Kautilya School of Public Policy, Hyderabad. She has previously interned with the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat on strengthening the Climate Resilient Food Systems Alliance and researching climate finance mechanisms, with Jyoti Sagar Associates on the social and environmental implications of subsidies, and with Indicc Associates on the intersection of AI and climate policy. She is passionate about advancing gender rights, climate action, and equity, and believes behavioral science is, as Sendhil Mullainathan says, the critical “last mile” in solving social problems.

Nilanjana Bargotra is a Senior Manager- Design and Advisory at the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change (CSBC).

She is an economist who holds an MSc. in Development Management from the London School of Economics (LSE) and a MSc. in Quantitative Finance from the Madras School of Economics (MSE). She was also a former graduate consultant with the International Labor Organization, studying digital economies in Africa. She has led projects for the World Bank, IWWAGE and was part of a technical support unit for women MSMEs in the National Rural Livelihood Mission, focusing on improving final inclusion and labour market aspirations for women nano-entrepreneurs.

Her areas of interest and enquiry are bargaining, risk and financial behaviour.

Pallavi has extensively worked at an intersection of the public and private sector over the last 14 years. She has worked with the leading insights-based consulting organisations Nielsen, Kantar and Quantum. She has led research projects of various scales in the realms of public health, nutrition, and financial inclusion, among others. She has delivered data-driven intelligence to policymakers, donors, and implementing partners to measure impact and strengthen and scale interventions. In her leadership role, Pallavi has implemented comprehensive business generation strategies to drive revenue growth and fostered high-calibre professionals to drive organisational success.

Pallavi is a Deputy Director- Operations and External Engagement at the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change, Ashoka University. She has an undergraduate degree in Philosophy from Delhi University and graduated with a Master’s in Development Studies from Ambedkar University, Delhi. She also completed an Executive Programme in Communications for Public Policy Delivery from Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore.

Padmini Vishwanath is a Senior Research Specialist at the CSBC, leading research that shapes policy and intervention design. With nearly a decade of experience in public health and policy, her work encompasses a range of areas including palliative care, digital and maternal health, family planning, and early childhood education across Asia and Africa. She bridges rigorous research with actionable insights for governments and development partners, collaborating with non-profit, academic, and international organizations to promote evidence-based solutions.

Padmini holds a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Singapore Management University. Having lived and worked in various contexts including Singapore, Washington DC, and India, she brings a rich multicultural perspective to her work.

As a Senior Advisor, Priyanka Thompson is leading the effort to strengthen the program and financial management systems at CSBC. Working closely with senior leadership, she guides overall organisational strategy and execution plans.

Priyanka has over 13 years of professional experience in the financial and development sector. She holds a degree in Finance from the University of London, International Programs and a Master's in Business Management from the Institute of Management and Technology, Ghaziabad. Passionate to apply her finance and business skills to support social sector organisations led her to transition from Capital and Finance markets to the development sector.

In the development sector, she has experience working with multilateral organisations, national and international non-profits and philanthropy foundations. Across her career span, she has worked extensively on investment portfolio management, strategy development, program planning and monitoring, and capacity strengthening. In her last assignment, she led program management of the Urban Sanitation India portfolio at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Purnima Mehrotra leads Measurement & Learning across various projects at the CSBC. She is also the lead on capacity-building programs in behaviour change for professionals and government personnel. She draws on her background in development communication, advertising, communication pedagogy, capacity building and evaluation research to fulfil her mandate at CSBC.

Currently, she is working with several partners in the entertainment-education domain to systematize concept testing, monitoring and feedback loops, impact evaluation, documentation and dissemination, such that content creation becomes evidence-driven with clear behavioural indicators as benchmarks of assessment. She is also working in partnership with key academic partners on developing a multi-disciplinary curriculum in behaviour change. Previously, Purnima was with UNICEF in the Communication for Development division, where she worked on the development and evaluation of a social and behaviour change communication strategy for maternal, infant and young child nutrition. Before UNICEF, Purnima was a Senior Researcher at the Population Council, where she led multi-year projects on evaluating a community mobilisation effort to improve RMNCH behaviours among most marginalized women and assessing the programmatic success of government schemes-related incentive payments directly to beneficiaries. Purnima has also taught graduate and undergraduate courses in communication and research methodology at the University of Kentucky and the University of Connecticut. She obtained her PhD in Communication from the University of Kentucky, USA and a post-graduate diploma in marketing communication from MICA, Ahmedabad.

Rabina Jaiswal is currently working as a Manager at the Center for Social and Behaviour Change. She is a development professional with over 9 years of experience in designing and implementing sustainable livelihood programs across rural India. She also serves as Director at Inquisit Consultants LLP, where she leads large-scale livelihood and enterprise development initiatives.

Prior to this, she has worked with leading organizations such as the Indian Micro Enterprises Development Foundation (Development Alternatives Group) and Swaniti Initiative (Ank Aha Pvt. Ltd.). Across these roles, she has collaborated closely with institutions including the Ministry of MSME, NITI Aayog, and various State Rural Livelihood Missions.

She was selected for the SBI Youth for India Fellowship, a flagship rural development program launched in 2011 by the SBI Foundation, which is widely recognized as one of India’s most prestigious social impact fellowships. She is also a Jagriti Yatra Fellow, having been selected for the prestigious national entrepreneurial journey that nurtures young changemakers and leaders in social innovation.

Richa Shankar is a Public Health specialist with over 16 years of experience working in the health and development sector with multi-laterals, non-profits, and private foundations. At CSBC, she is leading the strategy and operations function, supporting the Managing Director in providing leadership, guidance and mentoring to all verticals ensuring timely progress on all fronts required to achieve organisational goals.

Richa has an in-depth understanding of the socio-demographic landscape, including – issues and challenges that India faces, the stakeholders striving to bring about social change, including the government and non-government organisations, and opportunities and challenges that organisations face while operating in the sector. She has led large multi-disciplinary teams while working with national and international non-profit organisations and ensuring the successful implementation of programs across her career span. In her last role, she led the family planning policy portfolio at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Ronika Postaria is a Research Associate working with the ‘Encouraging Low Carbon Lifestyles in Indian Cities’ project at CSBC. She is also working on the Future Cities programme as an Urban Planning Associate at Transitions Research, Goa. She is keen on People-oriented design and Sustainable development. In the past, she was involved with urban development and policy formulation projects for the government and other public authorities.

As an Urban Planner and Designer, she is inclined toward making cities inclusive and liveable by concentrating on the correlation between the public realm, gender, and age. She is a member of Women in Urbanism, Brussels, where she is actively engaged in reimagining public spaces through women's perspectives. She also advocates for PlacemakingX, supporting innovative urban design and placemaking initiatives worldwide. Ronika holds an MSc in International Planning with a specialisation in Urban Design from University College London (UCL).

Rubiya Javed is a seasoned professional with a decade of experience in Hospitality Services, Facility Management, Team Management, Inventory Management, Vendor Management, and Event Management.

Beyond her impressive career, Rubiya is a fun-loving individual who's embracing motherhood. She's also a local expert on the vibrant city of Lucknow, making her our go-to person for all things Lucknow-related. And, when she's not managing teams or events, you'll find her in the kitchen, bringing her culinary magic to life.

Saksham is a research fellow at CSBC and leads the work on Behavioural Insights for Energy Transition (BIET). His research analyses the bi-directional relationship between climate change and human behaviour using experimental methods.

He has served with the Government of India’s Behavioural Insights Unit. His research is supported by grants from BMGF, J-PAL, and others. He is a PhD scholar at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Sheral is a Senior Research Associate with the Behavioural Insights Unit of India, NITI Aayog. She holds a Master's degree in Economics from the University of Warwick. Before joining the BIU, Sheral was a Research Associate with J-PAL, wherein she worked in education and gender. She is experienced in managing and conducting field research and data collection activities. Her primary interests lie in gender and social norms. She is enthusiastic about creating impact and bringing about behavioural changes through her association with CSBC/BIU.

Shreya Hasurkar is a Senior Research Associate with the Research Vertical at the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change. As part of the Field Empirics team, she works on conceptualising, designing and monitoring various qualitative and quantitative studies, studying social norms and testing behavioural interventions across subject domains.

Shreya graduated from Ashoka University with a B.A. (Hons.) degree in Political Science. She is passionate about women's preventive healthcare and education in rural communities and spends her time outside work pursuing personal projects.

Shweta Bankar is Senior Fellow – Qualitative Research, at the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change (CSBC). Currently, she is working across teams to provide qualitative research inputs and leading several qualitative studies at the centre. Shweta is working with several partners to develop the empirics at the distance platform to engage with qualitative research, experiments and testing. She leads the Secretariat for the South Asia Social Norms Learning Collaborative in partnership with Project Concern International (PCI), India.

Her professional and research experience includes developing and executing numerous projects in the development sector with a prime focus on adolescents and gender. Before CSBC, Shweta was with Dasra where she led the designing and execution of the Community of Practice for adolescents in the state of Jharkhand. Preceding Dasra, she was with International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW). At ICRW, Shweta led the sports for development program in Mumbai and other adolescent research programs in rural Maharashtra using various qualitative techniques. She led the Document, Drive and Deliver (3D) Program for Girls and Women at the district level in Pune in collaboration with district administration, non-government organisations and corporates. Her work involved the identification of challenges in policy using qualitative research and designing interventions for change with the partners and donors. Shweta has a Masters in Clinical Psychology from S.N.D.T University.

Simran Saraf is a behavioural and economic scientist with a passion for research. Her previous academic research covered the topics of catcalling, victim-blaming, and the description-experience gap in memory and learning. Other projects involved the area of healthcare, including COVID-19 and wellbeing, social prescribing for mental health and prostate cancer risks. Simran is greatly interested in the application of behavioural insights to tackle societal challenges through high impact scalable solutions in the non-profit sector. She hopes to further explore the effectiveness of interventions for marginalised populations through her work at CSBC. In her free time, she enjoys thrifting, overanalysing television shows and books, and asking strangers if she can pet their dogs.

Simran holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Psychology and an M.Sc. (with Distinction) in Behavioural and Economic Science from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom.

Tishara is a Consultant at CSBC applying behavioural research and design to facilitate the transition to low carbon lifestyles in the Indian context. She brings 5 years of experience in human-centric solutions for development and policy outcomes across health, sanitation, climate, and gender. From conducting field studies to developing AI-driven products, Tishara combines rigorous research, design thinking, and innovation to tackle complex challenges. She has previously worked at the World Resources Institute and Dalberg Advisors to embed behavioural science across research, capacity building, and product tools. Tishara holds a BSc in Psychology with a minor in Mathematics from Ashoka University and an MSc in Behaviour Change from UCL. Through her work, she hopes to translate evidence, art, and practice to bring about social change.

Satheesan is an accomplished NGO management professional with a long track of experience in NGO operations. He has been working in the development sector for more than two decades in different roles such as grant management, donor relations, HR & operations, procurements, communication, and media engagement. With his valuable organisational knowledge of dealing with large-scale managerial challenges, he is also a proven professional operations expert. With a Post Graduate Management in HRM and Diploma in Financial Management & Accountability, his career spread over three major organisations: Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), Learning Links Foundation (LLF) and Quest Alliance. At PRIA, he led the Procurement & Contract Management Unit for a decade and with LLF and Quest, he engaged with CSR donor-supported projects as well. Satheesan has experience with projects supported by organisations such as SDC, CIDA, Ford Foundation, Asia Foundation, UNFA, UNDP, MoPR, World Bank, APPI, WaterAid, DFID, DVV International, various state departments, Bank of America, CISCO, Dasra, and more. Satheesan loves movies, music, especially Carnatic and Hindustani, and books. Satheesan volunteers for Clone Cinema Alternative, a platform that promotes offbeat movies in India and is also a member of the science communication program group "Open Science / Science People."

Taniya is the Associate Director - Behavioural Advisory & Business Development at CSBC. In her role, Taniya leads CSBC's business development and rapid-response Behavioural Advisory projects with clients and key stakeholders.

In the past, Taniya has worked as a Nonprofit Advisory Consultant both as an Independent Consultant running her practice and with institutions such as Sattva Consulting as an Engagement Manager and a Business Development Manager at Atma - Accelerator for Education. Her work so far has been at the intersection of Nonprofit capability-building, strategy development, and fundraising/sales.

Taniya holds a Master's Degree in Literary and Cultural Studies from the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, a Master’s in Social Entrepreneurship from the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, and a Bachelor's Degree in Microbiology and Biochemistry at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. She is an alumna of the Gandhi Fellowship (2011-2013), and she is empanelled as a mentor at the One Future Collective, an organisation focused on gender justice, feminist leadership, and mental health in Mumbai.

Vaibhav works as a consultant in the Popup lab at CSBC. He handles field experiments and supports in all areas of research work. He obtained his Master's in Social Work, from Banaras Hindu University. He is very enthusiastic about working in social development sector and always keen about exploring new knowledge so that he can apply those in his field. He pursued his internship at HCL Foundation under “Happy School” project. Previously, Vaibhav worked for Care India as a Block Manager under multiple Healthcare programs led by Bihar Government.

Varsha joins CSBC as a Programme Manager, with over eight years of extensive experience in human-centered design methodology, behavioral science, and community-driven development. She has worked across health, education, RMNCH+A, and financial inclusion in India, as well as in Africa and the Middle East. With an additional background in monitoring, evaluation, and learning, Varsha brings expertise in Quant & Qual Research, and program implementation as well. Her approach emphasizes understanding the lived experiences of underserved communities and designing inclusive, participatory solutions rooted in the intersection of empathy, community immersion, and co-creation. She holds a Master’s degree in Economics from St. Xavier’s College, Ranchi, and is passionate about applying behavioral insights and design to create scalable, sustainable social impact.

Dr Pramath Raj Sinha is a Senior Advisor of the Albright Stonebridge Group, India and the Founder and Managing Director of 9.9 Mediaworx Private Limited. Before founding 9.9 Media, he was a Partner at Mckinsey and led the ABP Group, one of India’s leading and most diversified media conglomerates. Pramath helped set up and served as the Founding Dean of the Indian School of Business (ISB). He continues to be a member of its Board of Governors.

Pramath is a Director on the Boards of PRADAN, India’s leading development institution focused on improving livelihoods in the country’s poorest district and of the Central Square Foundation, a philanthropic fund focused on improving the educational outcomes for low-income children in India. He holds a bachelor's degree from IIT Kanpur and an MSE and PhD from the University of Pennsylvania.

Pavan is an empirically informed senior advisor in the policy space and a social scientist. Substantively, he pursues two streams of professional work and scholarship - law/policy and applied behaviour science.

He currently serves as the Director of the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change at Ashoka University and works closely with the NITI Aayog. He has led the initiative to set up India’s first Nudge Unit, the Behavioural Insights Unit of India. He has also helped set up Behavioural Insights Units for Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. His main work focuses on development-related issues in education, health, nutrition, and gender.

He has a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the University of Oxford and a Master’s (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School.

Dr Sharon Barnhardt is the Director (Research) at the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change at Ashoka University. She is an applied development economist and behavioural scientist who uses experiments to study policy-relevant topics in India. Her behavioural research focuses on sanitation and malnutrition.

Sharon is also active in Executive Education for the policy sector, having taught Behavioural Economics at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration and program evaluation with J-PAL South Asia and CLEAR.

She is a Faculty Affiliate at the Jameel Abdul Latif Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA, Bonn). Her experience includes positions at the Centre for Experimental Social Sciences (Nuffield College’s lab in India), the Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad, IFMR Business School (at Krea University), the World Bank, and J.P. Morgan.

Sharon’s academic record comprises a PhD from Harvard University, an M.P.A. from Princeton University, and a Bachelor's from NYU.

Diksha Radhakrishnan is the Deputy Director at the Centre for Social & Behaviour Change, leading the Centre’s Behavioural Design & Impact Lab.

Previously, she served as CSBC's Founding Lead for the establishment of the Behavioural Insights Unit at NITI Aayog, where she led the delivery of multiple high-stakes behaviourally-driven projects for the Government, including a communication campaign to promote mask-wearing, SBCC component for PM's rural transformation initiative in Varanasi and generation of evidence-driven solutions for improving nutritional practices in rural communities (complementary feeding and IFA supplementation).

Diksha has extensive experience in the domain of applied behavioural research, at-scale program design, and operating in the public health landscape. She has previously worked at Evidence Action Kenya, responsible for identifying, designing and scaling evidence-based solutions with government partners, across countries in East Africa and South Asia. She also served as a Research & Training Manager at J-PAL South Asia on multiple public health evaluations, working closely with senior academics and with high-ranking bureaucrats from state governments of Haryana, Tamil Nadu, and Bihar. She holds an MSc. in Development Studies from the School of Oriental & African Studies, the University of London and a B.A. in Political Science from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University.

Dr Shagata Mukherjee is the Lead of Behavioural Insights Unit of India, NITI Aayog and a Deputy Director at the Centre for Social and Behavioural Change at Ashoka University.

Prior to this position, Shagata was an Associate Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the Meghnad Desai Academy of Economics. He was also a Visiting Fellow at the Mumbai School of Economics and Public Policy at the University of Mumbai and an Affiliated Faculty at the Centre for Experimental Social Sciences (CESS) Nuffield -FLAME. He received the Vernon L. Smith Young Talent Award in Experimental Finance for his research on gender and microfinance. He is a co-founder of the Mumbai Behavioural Network.

Shagata holds a PhD in Behavioural and Experimental Economics from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University, a Master's degree in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University and a B.Sc. in Economics from Presidency College.

Gopikrishnan Nair works as Associate Director – Strategic Communications at the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change (CSBC), Ashoka University. Over the past 11 years, he has worked with organisations across the corporate, policy, education, and development sectors, shaping communication strategies that bring research, policy, and practice closer together.

At CSBC, he focuses on strengthening government engagement, designing behaviour change campaigns, and building platforms that make behavioural science accessible to practitioners and policymakers alike. His earlier roles at the Population Foundation of India, the Indian School of Public Policy, and the Centre for Civil Society allowed him to explore different facets of advocacy, communications, fundraising, digital strategy, and stakeholder engagement. He has also spent time with the United Nations Regional Information Centre in Brussels and supported parliamentary communication efforts in India.

Gopi studied Political Communication and Strategy at the Brussels School of International Studies (University of Kent) and holds an engineering degree from Vinayaka Missions University. His interests lie in public policy, technology, behavioural science, the circular economy, and the evolution of pop culture in the digital age.

Dr Dinabandhu Mondal is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow with the Behavioural Insights Unit of India, NITI Aayog at CSBC. He has a PhD in Geography from the Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). His doctoral thesis delved into peri-urbanization and the emerging inequalities in the dynamic peri-urban areas around cities in India. He also holds MPhil and MA degrees from JNU.

His area of interest lies in development studies, with a particular emphasis on peri-urbanization, labour, WaSH, health, gender, and inequality. He possesses expertise in empirical research, employing advanced statistical and spatial analyses and proficiency in conducting and analysing primary field surveys.

Before joining CSBC, he also served at the Centre for Women’s Development Studies (CWDS) on a collaborative project with the International Labour Organization (ILO) focusing on measuring unpaid domestic and care work.

Gaurav Dhankar is a development sector professional specializing in resource mobilisation, strategic partnerships, and fundraising for social impact initiatives. Over the past decade, he has worked with nonprofits, philanthropic foundations, and government partners to mobilize resources and build strategic collaborations across education, livelihoods, governance, and climate - related programs. He has worked with organizations such as STiR Education, the IC3 Institute, Sri Aurobindo Society, and Sulabh International, where he has supported fundraising strategy, donor engagement, programme development and implementation, and institutional partnerships with corporate CSR teams, foundations, and high-net-worth individuals. Earlier in his career, Gaurav served as a Chief Minister’s Good Governance Associate with the Government of Haryana, where he worked closely with district administrations to strengthen the implementation of flagship public programs.

Gaurav is deeply committed to strengthening the social impact ecosystem through strategic partnerships and resource mobilisation.

Gaurav Singh is a Chartered Accountant by profession with more than 6 years of experience in the corporate and development sectors in audit, accounting, financial management, direct and indirect tax consultancy and litigation matters. At CSBC, he is responsible for grants and overall financial management with the support of senior leadership. He also holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Delhi University, a Diploma in Information System Audit from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and is pursuing Law. In the development sector, he has worked with various organisations in different roles and provided consultancy in various Central Government initiatives, including the DDUGKY scheme of the Ministry of Rural Development, Learn and Earn scheme of the Ministry of Minority Affairs and the Jan Shikshan Sansthan scheme of Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Skill Development.

Dr. Luis Artavia-Mora is an applied behavioral scientist with international experience as a manager, researcher, and consultant of social and behavioral change initiatives. Luis is currently working as an independent consultant and his experience includes providing technical support to private sector, governments, research centers, and international organizations such as World Bank, USAID, International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie), Center for Social and Behavioral Change, and The Palladium Group. He has worked on projects related to migration, ethnic discrimination, financial inclusion, non-communicable diseases, stigma and mental health, gender norms, and the use of evaluation findings. He enjoys collaborating in teams to produce research papers, project deliverables, and write up grant proposals for public and private initiatives all around the world.

In his past, Luis has worked as Managing Director at the Master of Behavioral and Decision Sciences and as an affiliate at the Center for Social Norms and Behavioral Dynamics, both at the University of Pennsylvania. He has also designed, supervised, and assessed research projects in social and behavioral change for graduate-level students in Erasmus University of Rotterdam (The Netherlands) and University of Pennsylvania (USA).

He is also editor and chapter author in the forthcoming book, “Behavioral Science for Development: Insights and Strategies for Global Impact”. By training, Luis holds a Ph.D. in Development Economics from Erasmus University of Rotterdam (The Netherlands) and a master’s degree in development economics with a specialization in impact evaluation (EUR). He is a citizen of Costa Rica and the United States of America.

Sanjit Dhami is a Professor of Economics in the department of Economics at the School of Business, University of Leicester. He did his MA and PhD in Economics from the University of Toronto, Canada and an MPhil from the Delhi School of Economics, India. Before coming to Leicester in 2003, he worked at the University of Essex and Newcastle University for six years. He is also a CESifo network member at LMU, and Fellow of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

Prof. Dhami has authored the following books:

1. The Foundations of Behavioral Economic Analysis published by Oxford University Press in 2016. This 1800 page book was then split into 7 volumes, edited and updated to include new material, before being published by Oxford University Press in 2019/20. It is the leading book in its area and endorsed by 3 Nobel Prize winners.
2. His new book, joint with Professor Cass R. Sunstein, titled Bounded Rationality: Heuristics Judgement and Public Policy was published by MIT Press in July 2022. It is a research monograph on bounded rationality and economic policy for an interdisciplinary audience that examines open problems, challenges, and the way forward for the social and the behavioural sciences.
3. His forthcoming book, approximately 900 pages long, on behavioural economics at the advanced undergraduate level is currently under production at Cambridge University Press, and to be published next year. It is an ambitious project that does not shy away from challenging frontier material. It is comprehensive yet comprehensible to undergraduate students in economics, and hopefully an interdisciplinary audience as well.

Prof. Dhami's research spans most areas in behavioural economics such as decision theory, social preferences, time discounting, game theory, emotions, and bounded rationality. His main interest is in examining the theoretical and empirical foundations in these areas. His work has been published in the leading journals in economics such as Journal of Public Economics, Journal of Development Economics, Games and Economic Behavior, European Economic Review, Journal of Mathematical Psychology, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Journal of Economic Literature, Oxford Economic Papers, Economica, Mathematical Social Sciences, Economic Letters, Games, etc. He has also contributed to several edited book volumes published by OUP and MIT Press.

Prof. Dhami has given invited seminars at the leading Universities, such as Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, and Zurich, and taught several invited courses in behavioral economics at the Bavarian Joint PhD program, LMU Munich, and the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

Samyak is listed by Forbes as one of Asia's top young entrepreneurs. He is the Founder and Chief Architect at Workverse- a simulated workplace environment to train and assess graduates in 21st-century soft skills like creative problem-solving, critical thinking, emotional intelligence and storytelling. The aim is to prepare graduates, especially from tier 2 & 3 colleges, for the 5th industrial revolution, where human creativity & intelligence will be required to collaborate with artificial intelligence. As a passion project, he is also building a movement, Adopt India, to encourage and enable millennials to consider adoption as a family planning alternative. He started his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 16 when he took the concept of Model United Nations & youth conclaves to schools and colleges located in the far-reaching corners of India. Over 10,000 students from across 80 cities participated in this initiative. He also presided over the first-ever Indo-Pak Youth Peace Summit during the same time.

In the past, he also executed The Green Batti Project in 2013 - India's largest 1-1 life-and-career mentoring program that paired 5000 under-resourced youth with educated professionals who served as role models. Samyak also partnered with the Election Commission of India to launch ‘Operation Black Dot' to enable students across 60 colleges in Mumbai to cast an informed vote in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and 2016 BMC Elections. He was instrumental in building the country's leading youth marketing and communications agency as the Chief Youth Marketer at DDB Mudra Group, for which he also won the Young Emvie of the Year presented by the Advertising Agencies Association of India. While working at DDB Mudra Group, he adopted and transformed an educational institution in Dharavi slums to make it future-ready by introducing multi-media learning, life skills programs and sex education. Samyak has done his schooling from Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, New Delhi post, where he pursued a Bachelor of Mass Media from Jai Hind College.

Dr Sanna Balsari-Palsule is a Senior Research Specialist at the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change at Ashoka University. She is a behavioural scientist interested in the dynamics of behaviour change and the mechanisms that link intrinsic, psychological traits (e.g. personality, motivation) to a variety of important life outcomes.

Sanna holds teaching positions at the Department of Psychology, Ashoka University and previously at Judge Business School, University of Cambridge. Prior to joining CSBC, she was a Senior Behavioural Scientist at Dalberg, where she led the set-up of a behavioural sciences team and advised projects on data privacy, nutrition and financial inclusion. Sanna is a passionate personality scientist. She is a columnist for Psychology Today, Fast Company and Inc. and founder of Tango Metrics - a personality-based startup.

Sanna received her PhD from the University of Cambridge.

Dr Sneha Shashidhara is a senior research consultant at the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change, with a teaching position at the Psychology Department of Ashoka University. She is a cognitive neuroscientist by training to work as a researcher studying mechanisms of the brain underlying higher-order cognition and decision-making, and she is interested in the interaction between cognition and social psychology. A Gates-Cambridge scholar, she did her PhD, studying the multiple demand network in the brain, at the University of Cambridge. This network is active in different demands, be it language, memory, math etc. and handles many types of task difficulty. Prior to that, she did her Master's in Neuroscience at International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS), Goettingen, Germany.

Sonal is a monitoring and evaluation professional supporting evidence-based research at CSBC. As part of the Experiments and Evaluations team, she manages evaluation studies, field experiments, and research on behaviors, beliefs, and norms to improve social and behavioral outcomes. Previously, she worked with the Government of India (NITI Aayog), managing evaluations of large-scale schemes in agriculture, commerce, livelihood and food security. She has an M.A. in Economics from Ambedkar University Delhi and an undergraduate degree in Economics from Miranda House. Outside of work, Sonal enjoys reading, dancing, and visiting museums and parks.

Sonika is a consultant in the Popup Lab at CSBC. She conducts field experiments, manages field operations, and provides field support in all types of research work. She has been working in the Social and Rural Development sector for more than five years and has experience on Various Projects in Healthcare, Education, and Financial Inclusion.

Prior to Joining CSBC, she was a Program Mentor for the Foster and Forge Foundation and managed multiple districts of Uttar Pradesh where she worked on Training and capacity building Under Mission Prerna of the Uttar Pradesh Government.

Sonika has also served as a Gandhi Fellow Under the Piramal Foundation where she has worked with NITI Aayog. Sonika holds a Master's degree in Social Work and a Post Graduate Diploma in Integrated Rural Development and Management from Banaras Hindu University (BHU).

Srajan Srivastava serves as an Oxford-Ashoka Research Fellow at the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change (CSBC), working on the Wellcome Trust-funded project FORESFA. This study employs social network analysis to trace the sources and trade routes of substandard and falsified (SF) human antimicrobials in India and evaluate their impact on patient outcomes and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

With over five years of academic and research experience, Srajan is adept at qualitative and quantitative research methods. His interdisciplinary work integrates ethnographic insights, theoretical frameworks, and policy contexts, with a focus on public health challenges.

Srajan's research interests include the intersections of trauma, marginalization, and health inequities, particularly among vulnerable populations such as refugees. Driven by a commitment to fostering evidence-based policy change, Srajan's work aims to bridge the gap between research and actionable insights. His approach emphasizes the importance of individual narratives in shaping broader societal and policy responses to complex health issues.

Swati Srivastava is a seasoned public health professional with over 14 years of experience in health systems strengthening, digital innovation, and behavior change communication. At CSBC, she leads the Uttar Pradesh Behavioral Insights Unit’s work on anemia management and the PMJAY scheme, while also supporting initiatives on breastfeeding promotion and capacity building under the Viksit Bharat Mission.

She has previously worked with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Jhpiego, and PSI, where she managed large-scale health reforms, family planning programs, and the digital transformation of medical officer training through a learning management system.

Swati is deeply committed to capacity building, she has trained and facilitated sessions for diverse audiences from Health officials in Uttar Pradesh to senior civil servants at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration. She has also served as a teaching assistant for an international graduate course offered by Johns Hopkins in Barcelona. Swati has represented India at global health systems forums in Nagasaki and Bogotá, and her work covers organizational reform, competency-building, and health policy reform.

Swati holds a Masters in Public Health from the University of Lucknow and Masters in Business Administration from the International Management Institute, Belgium.

Vikrom Mathur has over 20 years of international experience in multidisciplinary research and policy analysis at the interface of technology, society and sustainability. His research explores the role of human choice and societal decision-making in the face of normative and scientific uncertainty in relation to climate change, emerging technologies and human settlements.

Vikrom is currently helping set up India’s first urban living lab – Project Urban Living Lab (PULL) in Panjim – as a platform to test and fine-tune socio-technical innovation to address urban challenges in the real-life laboratory of cities and neighbourhoods. His ongoing work on Future Cities uses systemic foresight to understand transformations in India’s growing midsized cities and examine policies to ensure these are just, resilient and sustainable. His ongoing research on Human Choice and Climate Change examines the human and social dimension of climate change in India - how do we deeply and rapidly alter politics, norms, attitudes, behaviour and incentives to act?

He received his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Oxford University, Institute for Science, Society and Innovation. The focus of his research was on institutional frameworks for climate adaptation decision-making. He holds a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical and Environmental Engineering from McGill University.

Vikrom is the Founding Director of Transitions Research, India; Senior Fellow of the Observer Research Foundation, India; and Associate Fellow of the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Sweden.

Zarna is a design strategist with a background in communication design and a deep passion for human-centered design (HCD). She has worked at McKinsey & Company, driving digital transformation across industries such as oil & gas, finance, automotive, and insurance. Her work sits at the intersection of design, business, and technology, where she collaborates with cross-functional teams to craft intuitive, impactful solutions. She is particularly interested in how systems, behaviors, and policies shape user experiences—going beyond just designing interfaces to reimagining entire ecosystems.

Now, Zarna is bringing this systems-thinking approach to policy making and social impact. She believes that the most effective solutions emerge when design meets behavioral science, research, and strategy. By applying HCD to governance and policy, she aims to create interventions that are not just innovative, but also scalable and deeply rooted in the realities of the people they serve. Her goal is to bridge the gap between intention and impact, ensuring that well-designed policies translate into meaningful change on the ground.