I received my Ph.D. in Global Studies and International and Comparative Education from the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, U.S. Subsequently, I received the National Research Foundation (South Africa) award for a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. I served as the Lead Research Coordinator for one year at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, where I researched educational public-private partnerships in South Africa. During my time as Senior Research Fellow at Indus Action, I led, conducted, and authored qualitative Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) research projects and conceptual policy reports for the State governments of Karnataka, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu. These projects and reports focused on critical analysis of policy "convergence”, Universal Basic Income, and conditional and unconditional cash transfer schemes for women in India. For the cash transfer schemes, I led the projects by drafting conceptual reports for governments, conducted fieldwork, designed survey and interview questionnaires from a gender perspective, wrote analytic reports on the findings, and conducted extensive training in qualitative research for junior colleagues. Additionally, I initiated and fostered partnerships and collaborations with various stakeholders, including universities, NGOs, research institutions, academics, journalists, and legal professionals. I am deeply committed to advancing the research rigor within organizations, advocating for the integration of academic research as a foundational element of policy analysis and practice.