What I Do I manage Global People Research & Analytics at McGraw Hill, where I lead research leveraging employee data from across 45 countries to generate data-driven insights for decisions impacting organizational effectiveness, culture, and talent.
Why Engineering? I was born in Pune, a city in Western India, to an army doctor and an educator. As a child, I had the opportunity to travel to remote places in India and visit and marvel at engineering feats. As a child, I was road-tripping on one of the highest (altitude) motorable roads in the world, visiting turbine chambers of huge hydroelectric plants (e.g., Baglihar Dam over the Chenab river), learning about New Austrian Tunnelling methods deep underneath mountains in the Himalayas – all of these experiences and more, gave me a perspective of the scale of operation that engineers undertake to solve challenges for humankind. I was fascinated by problem-solving and was curious about innovative methods and tools. I naturally gravitated towards a Bachelors degree in Mechatronics Engineering. Post undergrad, I traveled 5,000 miles away from home to the United States to pursue my Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering. Here in the U.S., I had the opportunity to learn and converse about intersectionality. I was introduced to the challenge of lack of representation and I was determined to understand it further. I thought a lot about engineering classrooms and how they could be made more inclusive and welcoming for diverse learners. I had found the questions that I wanted to earn my doctorate answering! I pursued my PhD in Engineering Education from Virginia Tech. Since then, I have been leading Global People Research & Analytics at McGraw-Hill. Through my current role, I can continue to passionately work on changing the inequities in the engineering industry and academia, and address these global challenges using innovative research methods.
School Days I completed my undergrad in Mechatronics Engineering from Manipal University in India. I then completed my Masters in Mechanical Engineering, followed by Masters in Statistics and Ph.D. in Engineering Education, all from Virginia Tech.
Challenges Since I had not experienced gendered roles at home, stereotypes and societal norms of the real world stood out as a stark contrast when I chose to step into engineering. I have faced these in small but aggravatingly plentiful doses of varied forms – sometimes guised as concern about how a girl could possibly choose to pursue the very outdoorsy and thereby “manly” field of Mechanical Engineering, questions on why I wasn’t better using the “feminine” traits of my personality towards pursuing something like teaching or communication which was more appropriate for girls like me, or in hardly finding role-models since engineering women who look like me are very few in leadership positions across academia or industry. It is aggravating, demanding and challenging to fight biases and preconceived notions based on stereotypes. The world that we live in is plagued by binaries and stereotypes, and these fallacies are further augmented through myths perpetuated about womxn causing imposter syndrome to creep in and ultimately resulting in sacrifice of an individual’s capability, interest, aptitude, and ability. I have learned that the strides I take as an engineer today are enabled by the grit and persistence of the women and women of color before me. I am extremely glad I persisted!
My Family My fabulous parents have always been my strength and inspiration. My wonderful husband (also my closest friend), along with our dogs - Simba and Rooster, are the loves of my life.
Dreams and Goals My short term goal is to continue doing the best I can to bring about increased inclusion in my circle of influence. Long term, I hope that these small efforts lead to big changes and that the future of the workforce that our next generation inherits, is rid of inequities and disparities.
Inspiration My parents. Some of my most vivid recollections of childhood are from the times when both my parents earned their respective doctorate degrees. I was probably 3 or 4 years old, and I was absolutely fascinated by the entire process, of them researching, writing and editing drafts, spending hours on end revising their work till one day, finally, they stepped out of a room full of grown-ups congratulating them on successfully defending their dissertations. For me, my parents were superheroes – inventors and scientists, and I have always wanted to emulate them!
Want to be an Engineer? The advice that I have for girls or women interested in STEM is the same that my mother offers me, whenever I’m upset or let self-doubt creep in. She reminds me of the Sanskrit saying, which ends as - विद्याधनं सर्वधन प्रधानम् ॥ Roughly translated, the saying encapsulates the sentiment that what you have learned, through experiences or education, is not in vain and is your most prized possession. Your education cannot be stolen from you nor will it ever be a burden, it will only increase even when shared. I urge young girls and women interested in STEM to collect as much learning as they can – through courses, internships, projects, volunteering. Explore your interests, pursue a wide range of opportunities so that they enable you to find what you love. Resist being siloed and seek out multi-disciplinary projects with diverse individuals and learn to contribute to these with your unique perspectives and voice. I urge them to persist and to do and be the best that they can. Finally, but most importantly, learn to be an ally for others, and invest time and effort in building friendships, finding community and strengthening networks; these will be your safety nets and every time you fall, because there will be times when you will, your net is what will help you bounce back, propelling you further and further.
Hobbies I am a maker of lists and itineraries who dabbles in writing and cuddles with her dogs, and loves drinking tea and indulging in long conversations.