Dr. Mahima Taneja is Associate Director - Research & MLE at the Gender x Digital (GxD) hub at LEAD at Krea University, where she leads research, learning and evaluation on women’s participation in the digital and AI economy. She brings over 12 years of experience in research and evaluation, with work spanning livelihoods, urban policy, WASH, and adolescent health. Her recent work includes a country-level evidence synthesis on the gender digital divide, early-stage research and program design advisory on AI readiness and adoption among last-mile users and intermediaries, and exploratory research on AI microworkers in India.

Previously, Mahima worked with the Gates Foundation in India, managing evaluations across women’s economic empowerment and inclusive financial systems portfolios, and has held research and evaluation roles at Sambodhi and ISST. She holds an M.A., M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Political Science with a specialisation in Gender Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University, where her doctoral research examined the gendered politics of urban public spaces.

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