Purpose

For me, research goes beyond simply getting a publication. I believe that research should play a pivotal role in helping the more vulnerable members of society while ensuring that our environment is preserved for future generations. Developing such ideas and solutions often requires us to take an integrative approach and draw upon resources from a diverse set of communities and players.

Some endeavors in this direction:

  1. Research with India Pollution Control Association in developing model on how social capital and supply chain networks can be created in order to double incomes, improve recycling rates from 15% to 90% and empower 700 rag-picker families[1]. This data was collected by interviewing rag-pickers operating in their slums and sourcing waste from 300,000 individuals living in a 10 sq. km. area. Creating a network of five schools for rag-pickers’ children was a secondary outcome[2] from this partnership.
  1. Demonstrated through field experiments the viability (economic, social and environmental) of a natural sewage treatment system in two Indian states: Rajasthan and Haryana[3]. The projects required close cooperation with IIT-Delhi (Center for Rural Development and Technology), Aston University (U.K.) and UWW. We also developed a business model[4] for social entrepreneurs to propagate such interventions in other localities throughout India. A secondary outcome was a reduction in infectious diseases for an entire village. A final deliverable from this research (with the support of UWW graduate students) was a Decision Support System (DSS) model. The DSS was distributed to key officers of the National Municipalities Association in India.

[1] From Rags to Riches: Tapping the Social Capital within the Solid Waste Informal Sector. South Asia Journal of Business and Management Cases, 1(2), 71-83.

[2] http://idsusa.org/projects/education/primary-education-for-rag-pickers/

[3] Biofencing- an Ecofriendly Boundary Wall. Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research, 70, 727- 731.

[4] Operational management of water reclamation through fertigation, Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research, 30, 732-736.