Education:
I am about to graduate with a Master of Arts in Cities and Governance from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Hyderabad (2024 to 2026), an interdisciplinary programme that combines public policy, governance, quantitative analysis, and urban and development studies. The programme has trained me to work across the full evidence-to-policy chain, from analysing datasets and policy documents to translating findings into programme design and policy-facing recommendations.
My coursework has built a strong analytical and methodological foundation. In Quantitative Reasoning and Statistical Methods, Applied Data Science, Advanced Quantitative Methods, and Development Data in Practice, I developed skills in descriptive and inferential statistics, data cleaning, indicator development, regression, and data visualisation using Excel, Python, R, and Stata, and gained hands-on experience with major national datasets including the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES), and the Time Use Survey. Impact Evaluation introduced me to quasi-experimental designs such as Difference-in-Differences and Propensity Score Matching, and to building a Theory of Change, while Policy Analysis Exercise and Qualitative Analysis strengthened my ability to structure policy problems and analyse qualitative evidence. The programme also developed my abilities in geospatial and environmental analysis using QGIS and Google Earth Engine, applied to vulnerability mapping, exposure analysis, and service-access assessment.
Alongside these methods, courses including Law, State and Governance, Financing Cities, Economics of Cities, Cities of the Global South, Climate Resilient Cities, Caring Cities, and Social Introduction to Cities deepened my understanding of institutions, public finance, urban economies, climate resilience, and the social and governance dimensions of cities and development. Most importantly, through City Labs, an applied planning studio, I helped evaluate and design municipal master plans for the Bhopal and Narsingi municipalities, working in the social infrastructure and transport sectors respectively, which gave me hands-on experience in translating analysis into planning and policy proposals.
My capstone research assessed Delhi's readiness to respond to environmentally sensitive noncommunicable diseases associated with heat and air pollution. Through a policy-oriented needs assessment built on a Policy Triad of frameworks, institutions, and instruments, I mapped institutional roles and vulnerable populations, diagnosed gaps between policy recognition and operational readiness, and proposed prioritised policy options. This work brought together climate-health, primary healthcare, chronic disease governance, and vulnerability analysis, and reflects the applied, policy-facing orientation of my training. I am now designing a primary-survey extension among high-risk groups to strengthen the evidence base further.
Earlier, I completed a Bachelor of Arts from the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Bangalore (2017 to 2021). This degree shaped my quantitative foundation through coursework in Linear Algebra, Abstract Algebra, Calculus, Analytical Geometry, Linear Programming, Probability and Statistics, and Statistical Techniques, which built strong skills in mathematical reasoning, optimisation, and statistical analysis that continue to support my applied policy and data work.
Together, my education has equipped me to analyse data and policy, work with stakeholders, and support evidence-based programme and policy design in the public health, climate-health, and development sectors.