Product and Research Fellow joins MAF
Aparna brings a love of people and numbers to MAF’s research team
My name is Aparna and I am the new Product & Research Fellow. Basically, my job is to work with MAF’s various teams, integrating technology and data to support and enhance what they already do so well; create systems through which service providers can demonstrate the immediate and long-term impact of their work with individual clients; and collaborate on the fascinating studies the Research Team is putting out, to help push forward our understanding of the broader implications of MAF’s work. As an aspiring policy modeler, I am very excited to engage with these different systems surrounding MAF’s work and lenses into the issue of asset-building.
I believe that the confluence of the quantitative, the qualitative, and the experiential, when done effectively, can truly transform the way we think about real-world problems.
During college, I built many close relationships through extensive volunteer work with the local community, which challenged me to think about how to use my technical background (B.S., Mathematics and M.S., Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University) to make meaningful impact. To this end, I spent a year on the Reporting and Data Modeling team of one of the nation’s largest HMIS providers and then another year conducting research under Prof. Sanjay Basu, using agent-based models to study the impact of neighborhood design on the physical activity levels of residents.
Now, I am thrilled to continue exploring my interests at MAF, through my fellowship with New Sector Alliance!
I’m truly thankful to be in such an innovative and forward-thinking place, which so cleanly integrates a focus on thought leadership, policy advocacy, and direct service to local communities.
In my spare time, I can be found volunteering with unhoused members of Palo Alto’s community, practicing Bharatanatyam (a style of Indian classical dance), exploring the Bay Area on foot, and striking up conversations with those I meet along the way.