I am a political scientist and Associate Professor of International Business at the University of Oxford, Saïd Business School and Research Fellow at Green Templeton College. I have affiliations with the Department of Politics and International Relations and the South Asian Studies Program at Oxford.

I specialize in comparative politics and the political economy of development, with regional expertise in South Asia. My research seeks to understand when and how government agencies and non-governmental actors work collectively to address complex societal problems and promote inclusive development. I explore these questions in my book, Making Bureaucracy Work: Norms, Education and Public Service Delivery in Rural India (2022, Cambridge University Press), which has won multiple awards. My papers have appeared in Science, Public Administration and Development, Politics & Society, Governance, Asian Survey and other leading scholarly outlets.

My current research examines institutional reforms to build state capacity in India, spanning a range of governmental functions and services, including education, child welfare, policing and security. I am a Principal Investigator for the UK FCDO-funded What Works Hub for Global Education and a member of the Hub’s Academic Leadership Team. I am an Associate Editor of the journal Indian Politics and Policy.

I hold a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an M.Sc. in Management Research (with Distinction) from the University of Oxford, and a B.A. in Philosophy and B.S. in Finance (summa cum laude) from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Oxford, I was an Assistant Professor in the Business, Government and International Economy Unit at Harvard Business School. I remain a Research Affiliate of the Mittal South Asia Institute at Harvard. My CV is available here

Outside of academic pursuits, I enjoy long walks in nature, the tabla and martial arts. I have an eclectic taste in music, including Hindustani classical, jazz and hip-hop. I dabble in photography. Gradually, I am adding photos from my fieldwork on this site.

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