Profile

I work in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). The field deals with designing new technology and interfaces, making it easier for people to understand and use them. In my earlier work, I built a phone assistant, few mobile apps, a tweeting apple, a talking plant, a board game, a futuristic restaurant, an interactive installation all using sensors and electronics. I use code, an Arduino (microcontroller) and everyday objects like a cup, a map or plant pot to make interactive experiences.
In my Ph.D., I am working on the problem of food production and consumption in future cities using design as a research tool e.g. we make a plant bot connected to the internet which tweets to you if it needs water and we then show it to people and get their feedback.

I start my day early, mostly at 5:30 am. I do some yoga or if there is a meeting on the day I prepare for it.  Make some breakfast, pack my lunch and get ready to leave for work by 8:30 am. Once I am at my workplace which is the university department where I am doing my Ph.D, I look at incomplete tasks from yesterday and my schedule for today to get a sense of my day. I read a lot of research papers and create new ways to engage people in discussions like planning workshops. I recently created a game, a map and took people for a walk around their neighborhood to discuss problems around food.

When in my lab, I will grab a coffee couple of times while working. We eat lunch together and if it is sunny, we take our lunch out to the campus lawn. Towards early evening I start to pack and try to leave by 5:00 pm. I take the bus home or walk if the weather is nice. Sometimes I go for a run or to the gym or buy groceries before I go home.