Divy Thakkar
About
I am a Program Manager at Google Research where I lead Strategy and Operations for several critical functions, I am one of the founding members of Google Research India. My interests and work sit at the intersection of Program + Product strategy and research.
Some of the areas my work covers are:
Connecting dots between Academia and Google Research through strategic programs to promote world-class (collaborative) CS research.
Strategising and operationalising a world-class AI for Social Good group impacting lives at-scale.
Deploying large-scale education programs to build a strong foundation for Computer Science in India at K-12.
HCI research examining Human-AI interactions in low-resource and/or high--stakes environments.
I am passionate about helping people find their dream jobs and run a YouTube channel where I talk about careers beyond software engineering and how to get them. Check it out!
Note on collaborations and mentorship:
I am happy to collaborate with Faculty and PhD students working in similar areas. Let's talk!
I regularly mentor students , I have (limited) slots to mentor undergraduate students with strong motivation. Write to me with what you need help with.
I graduated with a Masters in International Business from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade in Delhi. I got my undergraduate degree in Computer Science/ICT at DA-IICT, Gandhinagar. I interned at eBay prior to joining Google.
Some Collaborators
I am blessed to have worked with some of the most amazing researchers and practitioners in this domain whom I look up to: Ashwani Sharma, Kentaro Toyamo, Leslie Johnson, Manish Gupta, Milind Tambe, Maggie Johnson, Nithya Sambasvian, Neha Kumar, Pankaj Gupta, Varun Gulshan.
There are a tonne of other colleagues who inspire me - you know who you are :)
Most important collaborators are my parents, my big bro and my awesome set of friends who shape my thinking!
Contact
I love to talk to people who have ideas on research and/or practice in the aforementioned domains and I am up for interesting conversations and collaborations. Email me at: divy[underscore]d17[at]iift[dot]edu.
Follow me on Twitter (@divy93t) or add me on LinkedIn (@divythakkar).