Ayesha Datta

Ayesha is a Senior Research Associate at ICRW Asia, where she currently works on a Ford Foundation-funded project focused on understanding and documenting models implemented by program partners to address key barriers faced by informal women workers in India and Nepal. Her work centers on building evidence around effective strategies that support women’s entry into and sustained participation in the labor force. This involves close collaboration with partners, conducting field research, reviewing literature, analyzing data, and contributing to written outputs.

Prior to joining ICRW, Ayesha was a Research Associate at the Institute of Social Studies Trust (ISST), where she independently led multiple research initiatives. Her work at ISST focused on increasing visibility for home-based workers, analyzing the impact of COVID-19 on various sectors of informal work, and exploring the role of non-state frontline workers during the pandemic through a gender lens, among other areas. Her key strengths include literature review, research design, tool development, data collection, qualitative analysis, and writing.