Nithya’s research focuses on the economic empowerment of persons with disabilities, exploring both taste-based and productivity-related barriers to their employment in the private sector.

Before joining Oxford, she worked with the Finance and Competitiveness Unit and the Development Research Group at the World Bank, contributing to analytical and operational projects across Central Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. She has also served as a Research Assistant at the Yale Economic Growth Center and IFMR Lead in India and volunteered as the Youth employment and Transitions lead with the Commonwealth Youth Gender Equality Network.

Originally from India, Nithya holds a Master’s degree in International Development Economics from Yale University and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Miranda House, University of Delhi.

She is a Clarendon Scholar.