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Da Vinci, Russell, Aristotle ... the great polymaths were my childhood heroes. I was inspired by the thought of doing many different things in life, and doing them all well. My  fascination with this has led me to many twists and turns in my own journey of work and learning.

Urbanist

Urbanist

The future of the planet is increasingly shaped in urban areas. Already, more than half the people in the world live in cities, and this proportion will grow as large metropolises in many countries continue to attract new residents. I am interested in how urbanisation can be mapped, understood, managed, and imagined to support active citizens and create vibrant cities.

Journalist

Journalist

I also have a parallel interest in media. In 1998, Subramaniam Vincent and I began publishing India Together, which included positive development stories written by students. This has since grown into one of India's largest public affairs magazine, and I continue to edit it. Recently, I have been working with a few others to develop a hyper-local online news and information platform for cities.

Teacher

Teacher

There is a wide gap between certification and learning in India, and we need to urgently close that. I am developing the curriculum for a series of new courses which will combine in-class learning with plenty of practice. These will be taught as a set of modules that build employment-readiness in young people, and also teach them to understand society and their roles in it.

Scientist

Scientist

What I really wanted to be, as a young boy, was a scientist. I was fortunate to realise this dream - first as an astronomer studying star formation, and then as an climate scientist looking at clouds in Antarctica. These days, I don't get to do much scientific research myself, but still work with others who're answering interesting questions, especially in sustainability and public health.

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