Before working with Mr. Panda, Rohit spent several years at PRS Legislative Research, the Indian think-tank that supports MPs across party lines with research on legislative and policy issues. At PRS, he also developed ‘MP Track’, the tool that is widely used by the media and civil society to track engagement of MPs in Parliament. Previously, Rohit was a strategy consultant with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) at their Mumbai office. He is a 2013 IPRYLI (India-Pakistan Regional Young Leaders Initiative) fellow with the Asia Society.

Aparajita started her career in public policy as a Legislative Assistant to Mr. N.K. Singh, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and was one of the four Indians selected for the Faiths Act Fellowship by the Tony Blair Faith Foundation in 2011. In her undergraduate years at the College of Business Studies, Delhi University, Aparajita was instrumental in starting ‘Manthan’ – an annual congregation of street theatre societies to spread social awareness. Manthan has now expanded to several towns and cities across India. She is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper from the New Delhi hub.

Deepro is passionate about strengthening governance systems and improving policy design and implementation for effective service delivery. He is also an enthusiastic sportsman, and has played in the Bengal Hockey Association League 3^rd Division.

Previously, Sumeysh also worked with the Centre for Social Justice and led a social enterprise offering affordable legal services. He is deeply interested in how India can build policies that are practical, inclusive and geared towards scale.

As the founder of Wheels for Life, a crowdsourcing platform connecting wheelchair donors with recipients across 25 states, he has transformed thousands of lives. Nipun is also the Founder Chair of the FICCI D&I Working Group on Empowering PwDs. An alumnus of St. Stephen’s College, Delhi School of Economics, and the Indian School of Business, Nipun is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and has been recognized with the Indian Red Cross Society’s Social Entrepreneur Award. His writings on disability rights have appeared in leading publications like The Hindu, Indian Express, and The Print. Born with Arthrogryposis, Nipun is a passionate advocate for inclusion and accessibility in India.

Sidharth has a deep interest in the governance and regulation of new technologies and has worked with a wide array of stakeholders spanning industry, civil society, academia, government, regulatory authorities and other special interest groups.

With a particular focus on women’s economic empowerment through her work, Sonakshi has advised several organisations on issues such as preventing sexual harassment and encouraging gender equity in workplaces. She was previously Research and Editorial Lead for ‘Women in Labour’ —a podcast examining India’s declining female labour force participation rate, and a Consultant in the Economic Adviser’s Bureau at the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development where she worked on the implementation of a national scheme for women in distress. Sonakshi is also a Trustee at the Woman of the Elements Trust, which provides free legal aid to women and child victims of domestic violence. She has previously been a Global Shaper with the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Hub New Delhi and a delegate at the 2020 edition of the Australia India Youth Dialogue— a leading track II dialogue.

Aarathi is passionate about learning more about safe harbour frameworks, and writing about eating her way through new cities.

Additionally, through her voluntary work with AI Kiran, Ananta has successfully led efforts to develop government partnerships and drafted collaboration proposals for strategic initiatives at the intersection of AI and women’s empowerment. Driven by the complexities of India’s digital transformation, she is motivated by the challenge of crafting policy frameworks that balance rapid innovation with legal robustness.

He is a keen observer of the developments in India’s political economy, with interest across a wide gamut of areas such as law and justice, technology, and electoral politics. He’s also a passionate educator, a part-time amateur singer, and loves cooking. His favourite quote: “no man-made system is immune to human deceit”.

Mahwash is passionate about working towards the goal of making the legal framework work for every strata through effective policies, strategic governance and impact litigation. During her free time, she engages herself in art & craft, reading and baking.

Sohini’s work consistently emphasizes the intersection of research, stakeholder engagement, and impact-driven solutions. She blends academic rigor and practical experience spanning consulting and non-profit leadership to bring nuanced perspectives in addressing complex social challenges. In her previous roles, she has managed diverse teams and stakeholders across corporate, government, and grassroot levels. Besides work, Sohini enjoys mentoring aspiring scholars and reading fiction.

Yogini’s research has covered topics such as air pollution, faecal sludge management in urban contexts, and public health emergency legislations. She has also worked on projects to make complex legal and policy topics more accessible, including documentaries on implementation of environmental law, and co-hosting a podcast on vaccine policy. Yogini is strongly interested in climate policy, and understanding and navigating its governance and advocacy challenges.

She’s passionate about everything intersectional, be it about complex issues like the climate crisis, gender, caste and other socio-economic inequalities or a niche cultural development. She’s worked with Newslaundry on the first caste and gender analysis of newsrooms, interned with Feminism in India, and served as an Assistant Editor for an art magazine. Outside of work, Suyashi is a voracious reader of both fiction and non-fiction, experiments with creative writing and deeply enjoys going to a bookstore.

Ishita’s interests lie in the intersections of gender, political communication, and democratic participation in South Asia. Outside work, Ishita enjoys traveling, studying South Asian politics, and, occasionally, deep dives into Bollywood cinema.

A public policy graduate from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Nidhi holds a Bachelor’s of Technology in Computer Science from the University of Delhi, India.

Nidhi holds a Masters in Social Work from the Department of Social Work (University of Delhi) and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kirori Mal College (also University of Delhi).

She has also worked with Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) as a strategic researcher, primarily turning data and research insights into effective political strategy and communication. As a researcher, Paavi is interested in health policy, political economy of development, and state-market partnerships. She also conducts workshops on critical writing for public policy.

The transition from the litigation end of the spectrum to the legislative realm has given her a well-rounded perspective on the feedback loop of marginalisation, gender discrimination, lack of education, healthcare and basic amenities. Her passion for tech-policy is informed by her diverse experience and she hopes to contribute to a safe and equitable digital society.

Salil also did a short stint with the Maadhyam Foundation, where he was involved in parliamentary research and helped prepare a budget brief for the Ministry of Roads, Transport and Highways. He has previously worked in the communications sector and helped devise communication strategies for brands like Maruti Suzuki, Roca, and Bajaj Finserv. During his free time, Salil likes to cycle and trek.

Over the past several years, Sanskriti has worked on disability inclusion and public policy initiatives such as the Accessible India Mission and Skill India Mission, contributed as a sign-language interpreter (including for India’s Prime Minister), and interned with NITI Aayog’s Development Monitoring & Evaluation Office on the SDG India Index Report.

Early in her career, Sohinee joined the Teach For India fellowship to better understand grassroots realities within classrooms. The fellowship was a transformative experience which got her interested in the larger educational ecosystem. Her subsequent work with teachers and school leaders helped her gauge how different developmental themes interacted with one another to impact the well-being of individuals, and the large role the government played in it.

After returning to India, her first stint was with YLAC’s Policy in Action Program in 2021. While in India, she has also worked at an early stage ed-tech startup that works to make tech education accessible to everyone.

With a curiosity to understand people’s lived realities and the impact of policies on them, Teesta is drawn to field research. Notable among her endeavors is her research on permanent industrial workforce in Sahibabad industrial area. While passionate about dissecting the socio-cultural milieu, she also enjoys reading non-fiction books, hula hooping and baking.

Tejasi is passionate about ensuring the advancement of digital liberties, with a deep interest in themes of online free speech, safe harbour frameworks, and net neutrality.

Aishani has also worked with Habitat for Humanity International to build an impact indicator framework for housing interventions in Central and Eastern Europe, and with Asian Confluence on initiatives to support women entrepreneurs in Northeast India. In her free time, Aishani enjoys learning about marine habitats, spending time with her dogs and trying to befriend cats.

In her free time, Aparna enjoys experimenting in the kitchen and exploring various film genres.

Arushi’s research interests encompass gender justice, disability rights, climate action, and education, and she approaches her work with a strong commitment to feminist principles. Outside of her professional pursuits, she enjoys reading fiction, spending time with horses, and painting.

Garima began her journey in psychology, specialising in social, community, and political psychology, and building a strong foundation in research methods. She brings analytical rigour, field-level insight, and a steadfast commitment to social equity to her work at TQH, where she contributes to strengthening India’s development policy landscape and advancing equitable, evidence-based policy design.

Most recently, she worked as a Research Assistant at IDS on a FCDO-funded project exploring gender rollback. Her research focuses on women’s economic empowerment and the care economy. In addition to her research, Harshita has written for Indian Express, NDTV, and Feminism in India (FII). Outside of work, she enjoys reading, cooking, and exploring new cuisines as an amateur food connoisseur.

Earlier, as a Political Consultant with Inclusive Minds, she supported the Indian National Congress on policy and research. She has contributed to drafting the Women’s Declaration for the Telangana elections, which introduced social inclusion measures in education, mobility, and employment.

As a LAMP, she supported Dr. Brittas’ office with research and drafting of parliamentary interventions including questions and bills on gender parity, data governance, telecom regulation, and fiscal federalism, to name a few. She has also worked as Research Associate with Policy Briefcase, analysing government policies and flagship schemes across sectors, such as Digital India, Make in India, Skill India Mission, among others. Kashvi holds a Bachelor’s in political science from Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi where she was the President of the Debating Society and volunteered with the National Service Scheme. When she’s not working, you can find her reading for leisure or exploring new coffee roasts.

With a particular focus on women empowerment, Nastaha has also worked as a Researcher with the Centre for Gender and Politics for over 2 years now, navigating issues around gender and politics in South Asia. With past internship experiences in organizations such as Development Alternatives, SPRF, etc. she has developed a cohesive understanding of the field of public policy. She enjoys photography, listening to bollywood songs, and painting in her free time.

Samika is especially interested in questions of inclusion and accessibility, and in exploring how digital tools and emerging technologies can be designed and used in ways that advance people’s rights. Previously, as a Research Assistant at the Department of Women and Gender Studies, Savitribai Phule Pune University, she contributed to projects examining the socio-economic conditions of domestic and gig workers, as well as the effects of intergenerational caste-based stigma on first-generation learners. Samika is also an artist and illustrator and often uses her work to support social causes. She is a fellow of the Ideosync-UNESCO Information and Media Rights Fellowship (IUIF).

During her time in Edinburgh, Suravi worked as a pro-bono researcher for the Edinburgh International Justice Initiative on a report that investigated the Balkan Refugee Crisis. She was also a founding member for ‘Supply Chain Justice’, a student movement aimed at addressing human rights violations in corporate supply chains. Her research interests lie at the intersection of human rights, emerging technology, corporate accountability and education. She enjoys nature walks, travelling and cooking in her spare time.

Tanisha has also conducted M&E for a South Asia–wide study on violence-free workplaces for women home-based workers across India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. She holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies from Ambedkar University, Delhi and a Bachelor’s in Economics from Delhi University.

Besides work, Tithi enjoys watching horror movies and playing with cats.

Zakia has also documented and led creative content development for narratives addressing gender stereotypes. She is an active volunteer with the Nous Network, where she advocates for the rights of marginalized groups in India and raises awareness about systemic oppression. Her passion lies in using media to amplify underrepresented voices and drive meaningful change. Outside of work, she enjoys connecting with people over a cup of chai, indulging in movies, and immersing herself in true crime thrillers.

Amrit is a Sociology graduate and has cleared the Odisha Civil Services Examination in the past. He holds a keen interest in foreign policy, history, and decoding sociological patterns in everyday life.

Ayanika also has experience researching and drafting parliamentary interventions including legislation, questions, notices and resolutions. In her free time she enjoys reading, watching movies, taking short walks and quizzing.

While her interests are wide-ranging, she is motivated by the idea of making technology more human-centric and channelling it to increase inclusion, strengthen governance, and, above all, enhance the dignity and quality of life for marginalised communities in India and beyond. Outside of work, Gowri is usually consuming fiction at the speed of light, trying (and struggling) to make the most of her MUBI subscription, planning her next travel itinerary, or finding new ways to connect with people.

During his undergraduate and postgraduate studies, Pallav worked on diverse projects spanning livelihoods, technology policy, climate issues, and public administration, collaborating with both state and central government institutions.

Saksham’s academic and fieldwork learnings and experiences have contributed towards a strong interest in public systems, governance mechanisms, and policy research. In his free time, he likes watching football, singing, and traveling.

Shravani’s core interests lie at the intersection of law, technology, and public policy, with a focus on research and advocacy to drive meaningful impact.

At TQH, her focus areas include establishing and maintaining finance and administrative systems. She also looks after logistics for convenings and program implementation.

He is recognized for his analytical approach, integrity, and managing NGO financial systems and compliance frameworks.