Anaka Aiyar was a postdoctoral associate at TCI until 2020, when she joined the University of Nevada, Reno, as an assistant professor of economics. At TCI, her research explored the mechanisms that explain why states in India have had disparate experiences in economic development over the last few decades. Anaka obtained her PhD in economics at the University of California, Riverside. Prior to her PhD, she worked for nearly half a decade in India on field-based research projects. Her projects included conducting an impact evaluation of government policy in Karnataka and conducting market research for social entrepreneurs working on improving the livelihoods of people living in rural areas of Tamil Nadu. Her research interests are driven by her passion to positively impact the lives of less-privileged individuals living in developing countries.