It was in late 2000s, during my undergraduate days studying psychology, when I realised that my innate curiosity for why people behave the way they do would last me a lifetime. After a few inspiring chats with seniors and alumni, I zeroed in on research as a career path for me.

 

I love that it enables me access to people, their lives, and ways of living in a way that only a few other careers can. And that by helping business better understand the people they design products, services, and experiences for, I can make life a tiny bit better for people in my own way. 

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Beginnings // My first research stint began with an agency-side role in London, subsequently leading to research roles in Mumbai, and Singapore. I travelled extensively, conducting research across South America, Europe, Africa, and South & South East Asia for the likes of Unilever, Twitter, Vodafone, Visa, Diageo, 3M, and many more.

 

For a decade, I spent a ton of time on field, observing, understanding, and learning immensely insightful things from people from all over, about seemingly inane stuff like how to get a shopper to pick a certain brand of toothpaste off the shelf, or the many ways in which Turkish women use bleach, to how dish washing dynamics differ with different cuisines and socio-economics of utensils used, and more. It was hands-on, time and effort intensive work but hugely rewarding to see the meaningful difference made in product, business, and marketing strategies as a result.

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Present day // I have now taken on a more fundamental responsibility while adding a layer to my experience so far. That of cultivating a research culture, and setting up a research practice where none existed. In the process, I am learning more, beyond how best to conduct research, on how best to weave human insights into everyday decision making, and to influence foundational business and product strategies. 

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Beyond this obsessive love for research, I enjoy reading about the psychology of terrorism, and photographing quirky things (like this Stichodactyla gigantea or 'sea carpet anemone' seen below, captured during an intertidal walk).