Education

Brown University + Rhode Island School of Design, MA Design Engineering (MADE) | ☆ Graduating in May 2024

Joint program at the Brown School of Engineering & RISD. Some of the course electives I’m choosing to take include “Qualitative Market Research for Entrepreneurs & Business Innovators”, “Ethnography in Organization” and “Design Engineering Communication” in order to deepen my qualitative research practice in a business and organizational context.

Harvard University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences | Cross-Registration Scholar, Spring Semester 2023

Completed a comprehensive course on Climate Change: Science, Impacts, and Responses, with Prof. Daniel P. Schrag, Geologist, mastering key concepts in climate science, the effects of climate change on society, and strategies for mitigation and adaptation. Gained insights into the complexities of climate models, extreme weather events, and the global energy transition. The course emphasized a multidisciplinary approach, integrating scientific, technological, policy, and public health perspectives.

MIT-Institute of Design, Pune, India, Bachelor of Design | Class of 2021 [Second Rank Holder, First Class with Distinction, Graphic Design]

Thesis: Designed a WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) behavior change curriculum delivered to 415 schools in Ethiopia impacting 550,000+ students. Thesis was done at TinkerLabs, a Design Thinking and Behavioral Science consultancy in Mumbai, India, across 6 months in Partnership with Splash, Seattle, USA.

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Experience

Graduate Researcher at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, Harvard University | Feb-Apr 2024

Research Sprint— We are currently exploring key issues such as the tension between collecting data to improve community outcomes and subjecting people to surveillance, and what artificial intelligence means for the complex, intersecting systems that collect, interpret, and deploy city data. In the month of April ‘24 we will be exhibiting an interactive display at the Museum of Science, Boston.

Design Associate at Common Thread | Remote, 2021-2023 [Promoted: Jr. Designer to Design Associate in 9 months]

Worked on public health emergency projects across the global south and north as a designer and researcher working closely with the Lead Behavioral Scientist and Lead Human-centered designer.

KEY PROJECTS

UNICEF Ghana: Led research initiatives, synthesizing data to understand adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health trends in Ghana. Implemented strategies with the Ministry of Health to promote access to health services.
Intended Impact: To equip adolescents in Ghana to have better access to sexual and mental health services, amidst the complex socio-ecological setting. 

UNICEF Poland:  Conducted extensive secondary research and delivered strategic service recommendations to UNICEF Poland, enabling 6 Blue Dot centers across Poland’s border to effectively provide support to women and children displaced by the war in Ukraine.
Impact: Recommendations were reported to have increased ease and access to essential information.

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: Contributed to the development of interactive COVID-19 data-scapes for stakeholders in Kenya, Burkina Faso, and Pakistan.
Impact: Helped break down the complexity of COVID-19 vaccine demand generation in these various regions and helped behavior change prioritization.

Design Research Intern at TinkerLabs | Remote, Jan-Jun 2021

Graduating thesis: Research and design of a WASH behavior change curriculum to instill positive hygiene behaviors among school-goers in rural and semi-urban Ethiopia.

User Experience Research Intern at HumanX | Remote, May-Jun 2020

Worked on the company‘s UX Design Playbook to define and understand the changing e-commerce buying behavior patterns.

Creative Intern, Ogilvy | Bangalore, India, Summer 2019

Worked closely with the studio design director and artist to produce a campaign for a major international e-commerce company.