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Tell us a little bit about you

I am an interdisciplinary researcher with first degree in electronics engineering, 3+ years of work experience in software industry, PhD in Energy Science and Engineering and post-doctoral experiences in techno-economic-environmental-social analyses. With each role, I acquired new skills and experiences without hesitating to dive into unknown waters.

I grew up in multi-generational joint family in India. Prior to PhD, I studied/worked with multi-linguistic friends from different states and my association with multi-national, multi-organisational teams continued during PhD and visiting researcher tenure in the USA. After relocating to the UK, I have been enjoying working with colleagues from wide ranging countries and cultures. 

So, while bonding with people from diverse backgrounds has become my second nature, I keep reinventing my understanding about people’s thought processes and their roots as well as the impacts stemming from their different approaches on research outcomes. This helps me to collaborate with researchers having varied viewpoints.

What is your area of research and what project(s) are you working on now?

I am currently developing a circular economy (CE) toolkit for photovoltaic and micro-mobility industries by identifying techno-socio-economic-regulatory barriers to adoption to CE through stakeholder engagement and assessing their correlations using interpretive structural modelling. Earlier I developed decision support system (DSS) tool comparing low carbon energy technologies through techno-economic-environmental analysis and currently exploring opportunities to utilise DSS for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

What do you think are the challenges for equity/equality, diversity and inclusion in the energy research community in reaching netzero targets by 2050?

In my opinion, a key challenge for equality, diversity and inclusion in the energy research community in reaching net zero carbon targets by 2050 is ensuring research is not siloed and integrated approach is well received. It is important to acknowledge that the specialists and generalists are equally indispensable for energy research and are considered equally and included to accomplish rigour and relevance to the real world.

What should a supportive, inclusive energy research community look like?

An inclusive and supportive energy research community would recognise every perspective, every contribution, every individual is important to address today’s challenges and it would be impossible to solve the puzzle in entirety if even one piece of the puzzle is missing. So, everyone is respected and heard well, which enhances their sense of belonging and in turn results in real value addition to the community.

What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in Energy Research?

Energy is fundamental to our lives and one can contribute to energy research traversing range of pathways, whether in science, engineering, economics, social science, anything which makes you feel wanting to do more, working harder. Always keep bigger goal in mind and choose a path which excites you the most!

Fun question: If you had a magic wand, what is one thing you would change right now?

If I could have a magic wand and change one thing, everyone would be mindful of their consumption, be it energy or materials. This would ensure that there is enough for everyone, irrespective of community, region, nation they live in, and natural ecosystems are still not burdened meaning we are well within planetary boundaries. This would also entail co-existence not only with all human beings but also with diverse species, with true realisation of ‘Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam’ philosophy meaning ‘the whole world is one (my) family’.