Research Associate

Christ (Deemed to be University), Delhi NCR
November 2025 - Present

Project

“Sustainability of Digital Jobs: Assessing the Role of Gig-Platform Economy in Enhancing Youth Livelihood Opportunities in Uttar Pradesh” (ICCSR funded)

Responsibilities

  • Developed research problem, theoretical framework, methodology, and research design
  • Utilized Kobo Toolbox for efficient deployment of primary data collection
  • Trained field investigators and coordinated data collection process
  • Conducting policy-relevant analysis on youth employment sustainability in gig platforms

Senior Research Fellow

Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi
July 2021 - June 2025

Doctoral Research

“Digital Platforms and Food Delivery Systems in India: A Study of Zomato Workers in Delhi”

Responsibilities

  • Designed and executed all stages of doctoral research on digital platforms and food delivery systems
  • Developed structured questionnaires and research tools for primary data collection among gig workers
  • Conducted extensive field surveys in Delhi (Dec 2023 - Nov 2024) ensuring data quality and adherence to research protocols
  • Analyzed large-scale surveys and secondary datasets (NSS, PLFS) using statistical tools
  • Authored and presented research reports within academic and policy forums
  • Published blog posts and op-eds on platform labour issues

Junior Research Fellow

Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi
July 2019 - July 2021

Responsibilities

  • Completed research course work on research design, literature reviews, and conceptual framework development
  • Participated in field investigations and preliminary data analysis
  • Engaged in academic writing, presentations, and knowledge-sharing activities
  • Built theoretical foundation in labour process theory, platform capitalism, and political economy

Research Interests

My research is centered around the following themes:

Area Focus
Platform Economy Political economy of digital platforms and market power
Labour Studies Labour process, control, and worker resistance in platform-mediated work
Sustainability Gig and platform-based employment in the Global South
Digital Alternatives Community-governed and non-extractive digital market systems
Informal Governance Trust and solidarity-based digital infrastructures
AI and Work AI agents, automation, and labour market reorganization

Research Agenda

My research agenda is organized around four interconnected themes:

1. Platform Labour & Algorithmic Management

Empirical research on how platforms control, extract value from, and precariize workers in India—with a focus on food delivery, ride-hailing, and quick commerce.

Key questions:

  • How do algorithmic management systems control workers without formal employment?
  • What is the labour process of app-mediated food delivery work?
  • How do platforms extract value while externalizing costs and risks?

2. Political Economy of Digital Platforms

Theoretical work on platform capitalism, market power, extraction mechanisms, and the structural transformation of labour markets in the Global South.

Key questions:

  • How does platform capitalism differ in the Global South vs. the Global North?
  • What are the mechanisms of platform market power in Indian digital economies?
  • How do platforms reshape informal labour structures?

3. Worker Resistance & Platform Alternatives

Research on collective action, unionization, and community-governed digital marketplaces as alternatives to extractive corporate platforms.

Key questions:

  • What forms of worker resistance emerge under algorithmic management?
  • Can platform cooperatives work in India?
  • How do community-based digital marketplaces function without platform intermediaries?

4. AI, Automation & the Future of Work

Emerging research on how AI agents, generative AI, and algorithmic automation will reshape platform labour, digital work, and employment in India.

Key questions:

  • How will AI agents reorganize digital labour markets?
  • What continuities exist between platform control and AI-mediated work?
  • How can workers maintain autonomy in increasingly automated labour processes?

Research vision: Advancing platform studies as a field—bridging labour scholarship, technology analysis, and policy research on platforms, AI, and digital economies in India and the Global South.

Ongoing Research

Community-based Digital Marketplaces

Exploring informal alternatives to platform intermediation, with a case focus on online fragrance communities in India. This research examines how communities experiment with non-extractive, community-governed digital market systems based on trust, solidarity, and informal governance rather than algorithmic control.

Research questions:

  • How do community-based digital marketplaces function without platform intermediaries?
  • What role do trust and solidarity play in informal digital economies?
  • Can these models scale or remain viable alternatives to corporate platforms?

Research → Action

Beyond academic research, I translate findings into working systems. See:

  • Projects — OpenCoop (cooperative food delivery platform) and IndiaData (automated survey analysis)
  • Skills — Technical capabilities and research tools

Publications & Writing

For a full list of publications, see the Publications page.

For recent analysis and commentary, see the Blog.