Satish Bajracharya is a Research Associate at Inclusion Economics India Centre (IEIC) on the PayDash project since May 2024. PayDash is a digital tool, that improves service delivery of direct benefit transfers. Satish, on this project, works at the intersection of public policy, impact evaluation, and technology. In his current role, he manages high-volume administrative data, conducts data quality checks, and implements randomised A/B tests. Additionally, he engages with key government partners to support the nationwide release of the updated Janmgnrega application. Reflecting on his time with IEIC, Satish describes his role as dynamic, sometimes requiring a behavioural lens to understand PayDash user perspectives, while at other times navigating the policy interests of stakeholders. He often works with multiple programming languages and database management systems to conduct data analysis and troubleshoot technical issues. His favourite aspect of working at IEIC is the opportunity to engage with different systems/tools - mainly R, Stata, MySQL and AWS. The dynamic nature of the role, whether in research, policy, or technology, keeps him challenged and engaged. After completing his Master's in Economics, Satish began his career as a Daayitwa Fellow with the Ministry of Finance, where he researched the informal economy in Nepal. Subsequently, he worked with the Ministry of Labor, Employment, and Social Security, while serving as a consultant for the International Labor Organization. These experiences enriched his understanding of social protection initiatives in Nepal. Through his work at IEIC, he seeks to gain insights into social protection initiatives in India, mainly through MGNREGS. Satish's advice to anyone starting in this field - "take consistent, small steps each day and focus on setting achievable goals to create meaningful change over time". This year, he is eager to improve his skills in building robust data systems and fostering impactful stakeholder partnerships. In his free time, he enjoys capturing nature and traditional architecture through sketches.

Urvi Naik is a Research Manager at Inclusion Economics India Centre (IEIC). She joined IEIC in October 2021 as a Research Associate and was promoted to Senior Research Associate in April 2022, before taking on her current role in October 2023. As a Research Manager, she is responsible for overseeing the implementation of research studies that includes study oversight, contributing to research design, mentoring and guiding research associates, managing project finances and grants, coordinating with external stakeholders, and building and maintaining relationships with policy partners. Reflecting on her time with IEIC thus far, Urvi says "I have gained a deeper and well-rounded understanding of development challenges by engaging with communities in the field as well as with policymakers and other key implementers. I have also built strong skills in generating high-quality data by supporting large-scale data collection efforts. Finally, engaging with policymakers to share insights from research studies has given me a deeper appreciation of the complex process of translating evidence into action." "I have worked on several research studies in IEIC's gender portfolio that look at ways to increase female labour force participation, expand access and use of digital and financial tools and resources. I have contributed to measuring the context-specific barriers women face in accessing equal opportunities and testing interventions that can increase women's participation and overall economic empowerment. Most of the studies have also involved developing and testing innovative tools to measure invisible structures like norms that play a big role in constraining opportunity. My favourite part about working at IEIC is working with inspiring colleagues who motivate me to do my best, engaging with rigorous research and learning from top researchers in the field and interacting with communities during the scoping phase of the project to help better understand the challenges we try to address. My advice to someone starting in this field is stay open to diverse learning opportunities instead of setting narrow goals early on. At the same time, keep sight of your long-term career vision so that each experience contributes to the bigger picture. I am excited about contributing to the design and testing of a research study from the ground up with close collaboration with government stakeholders in a new geography, developing my grant writing and networking skills to expand funding and research opportunities."

Shivangee Acharya is a Senior Research Associate at Inclusion Economics India Centre (IEIC). She joined IEIC in September 2022 as a Research Associate and transitioned to Senior Research Associate in April 2024 supporting the gender portfolio in Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. Her work entails contributing to research study design, stakeholder engagements, planning and implementing data collection activities, monitoring data quality systems and analyzing data. During her time here at IEIC, she has worked on studies that aim to dissect how households make decisions, understand channels of norms enforcement and identify mechanisms of effective last-mile service delivery with particular focus on gender, and labour and financial markets. Reflecting on her time with IEIC thus far, Shivangee says "My work at IEIC has allowed me to engage in rigorous knowledge building rooted in causal research and support developing gender-intentional policy recommendations. I appreciate being able to explore and identify my interests while working with like-minded colleagues- many of whom have become friends, and learning from incredible mentors. I believe seeing social research from up close and developing a holistic set of skills in the process will continue to inform me as I move forward in my career." Shivangee has over time come to believe in the saying "make it exist first, you can make it good later", be it work or life in general. Her hobbies include dreaming about getting a cat and consuming media (movies, music, books). Shivangee has a Masters in Agricultural Economics from Assam Agricultural University. Prior to joining IEIC, she worked as a Research Intern at J-PAL South Asia.

Arihant Jain Joined IEIC in October 2024 as a Research Associate on a project in the gender portfolio in Madhya Pradesh, supporting the design and implementation of training interventions aimed at improving women’s livelihoods through public employment programs. Reflecting on his time with IEIC thus far, Arihant says, "After working at a big data firm, I realised that while I enjoyed working with corporations, I was increasingly drawn toward research-driven impact and the possibility of pursuing a PhD. This shift in focus led me to IEIC, one of the well-regarded names in the research community. Being affiliated with Yale University, IEIC offers a unique ecosystem where one can engage with amazing Principal Investigators (PIs) and be exposed to diverse perspectives". "My journey here at IEIC has been nothing short of transformative, whether it’s traveling to remote villages to understand community-level challenges or working to apply evidence-based solutions to real-world problems, every experience has been intellectually enriching and personally fulfilling. What I value most is the opportunity to interact with and learn from some of the most thoughtful and experienced PIs (Principal Investigators) in the field. Their guidance helps you look at problems from multiple angles and pushes you to think critically and creatively." "In Indian educational settings, we’re trained to solve well-defined, closed-ended questions. However, real-world challenges are often open-ended. My time at IEIC is teaching me how to approach such complexity with intellectual rigor and a problem-solving mindset, which I find immensely rewarding. Successfully completing the training interventions of our study, that aims to empower close to 2 lakh women would be a major professional milestone for me in the coming year. My advice to anyone starting in this field is be curious, and learn from both data and field experiences." Arihant holds a Master’s in Experimental Economics from Ahmedabad University and a Bachelor’s in Economics from St. Xavier’s College. Arihant has previously worked with institutions such as NITI Aayog, the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, and the World Resources Institute ( WRI).