Anuja Agarwal - Somaiya Education Faculty

Dr. Anuja Agarwal is a Delhi University Graduate in Computer Science, holds a Masters degree in Computer Application(MCA) from DAVV, Indore and a Ph.D. in Management Studies from Mumbai University. Her Ph.D. thesis is in Design-Thinking and Innovation. She has recently authored a Best-seller Book Titled “Design Thinking: A Framework for Applying Design Thinking in Problem-Solving”, published by Cengage Publishers, which has been adopted by top B-Schools in India, including some of the IIMs.

Having learnt ‘Design Thinking’ at some of the top names in the world, namely Stanford D-School and IDEO, followed by her Ph.D. thesis in ‘Applying Design-Thinking in Management Education’, Dr. Anuja Agarwal has developed expertise in an end-to-end process of applying Design-thinking concepts to create Innovative solutions that solve problems, and facilitate the companies to manage their Innovation process and make it Sustainable.

Socially relevant Projects undertaken with application of Design-Thinking process -

1. AI-Powered Smart Jewellery Box.
2. Smart Tap that empowers 'Water-users' to become 'Water-conservers'.
3. Developing Strategies for Alternate Energy based Business Ecosystems in Rural India
4. ‘Jaggery to Jags’ for enhancing local income through high-end positioning of Jaggery in the market by making it available in convenient, attractive, micro-unit sizes and modern flavours, akin to Chocolate bars.
5. Project GELL-AMAR - GEnerating Local Livelihood to Arrest Migration & Aid Reverse-migration project in Ladakh.
6. Sustainable Water Resource Management Solution to enhance livelihoods. This Water Conservation Project at Village Kheware in Rural Maharashtra is being worked on using a combination of design-thinking principles and innovative hollow shaft technology. 
7. Zero Waste City with ‘Smart Taps’ Project - This project is aimed at reduction, segregation and collection of household waste, measuring to minimise energy & water consumption and educating people about hazards/impact of overconsumption.
8. Waste-to-value solutions benefiting farmer community – written a case study of the work done by  CSR arm of a leading organisation in India.
9. Project ‘Pace’- Personal metronome: a low-cost concept product to help manage ‘Freezing’ in Parkinson’s patients.
10. Software tool for supporting Ethnographic Research in Innovation Projects which was presented at a conference, ‘Technology for Education’ held at IIT, Bombay.

Dr. Anuja has also joined a mission of providing world class Computer science education to bright underprivileged children in India. She does this assignment on pro-bono basis as the Founding Dean at Sitare University.