SASWATHI NATTA, PhD
About Me
Dr. Saswathi Natta is a sociologist, entrepreneur and educator trained in mixed-methods research specializing in the social foundations of inequality, demographic trends, and behavioral outcomes. Her PhD work includes India’s domestic political economy, caste stratification, and gendered labor markets. A Fulbright Research Scholar in India, she designed and led multi-site fieldwork across northern and southern states, conducting 100+ in-depth interviews and focus groups to examine how caste operates as a localized institutional structure shaping women’s labor force participation, children’s educational trajectories, and community conflict dynamics. Her dissertation integrates these qualitative insights with large-scale survey data (IHDS, 40,000 households) to generate generalizable evidence on how social hierarchy influences economic mobility and political voice.
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Her skillset includes cognitive interviewing, survey piloting, program impact assessment, qualitative research methods, statistical data analysis skills, conflict management, discussion moderation, curriculum creation, teaching, and teacher training.
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Her work engages questions central to contemporary South Asia: the interaction between social identity and market participation, the durability of stratification under democratic and economic change, and the transnational implications of caste and diaspora networks. Dr.Natta brings a unique lens as a Dalit-Indian American Scholar, focusing on separating out the social-behavioral indicators from economic barriers, both of which contribute to lived experiences and outcomes. By combining granular fieldwork with demographic and comparative analysis, she brings a research agenda that deepens understanding of India’s internal inequalities while situating them within broader global debates on development, migration, and institutional resilience.
She has presented her research at international conferences ( IUSSP, PAA, Fulbright-India), collaborated with Indian research institutions including NCAER, and engaged directly with NGOs, grassroots organizations and educators to translate findings into programmatic insight.
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In addition to her academic work, she brings experience in applied demographic research from the U.S. Census Bureau’s International Programs Center where she worked coordinating with national statistical offices to design, pilot, and implement statistical and program evaluation products in low- and middle-income countries. She also has prior experience in the Indian microfinance sector assessing program effectiveness, loan product quality, and social impact.
As Co-Founder and Research Lead at SpendMatch, she leads user-centered program and product evaluation in the FinTech-EdTech space to improve access to scholarships, grants, and loans for underrepresented students in the U.S and beyond. Much of her applied work centers on ongoing engagement with diaspora and education-focused communities, enriching her comparative perspective on India’s global linkages.
Education
2017-2025
PhD, Sociology
University of Maryland
Dissertation: “Experiencing caste: Social Distance is Distinct from Economic Distance”; Focuses on how caste influences children’s educational outcomes, women’s labor force participation and conflict at the local level. Fulbright grant funded field work. Defended on Nov 18th, 2024. Advised by Dr. Sonalde Desai.
Member of India Human Development Survey research team; Curriculum development, Teaching.
2015-2017
M.A, Sociology
University of Maryland
Second Year Paper: Disparities in Financial Inclusion in India; Paper identifies financial exclusion patterns across caste and religious divides in modern India.
Other significant Research: Paper topics include gender differences in educational attainment in India;
2009-2010
B.S.E, Electrical Engineering
Princeton University
Major in electrical Engineering; Final Project: Thin Film Circuitry Wireless Transmission Measurement & Optimization; Autonomous vehicles lab, Human-computer Interface system prototyping.
Minor in South Asian Studies. Final Paper: Network analysis of MSMEs in India to Identify Trends in Caste Representation across Companies, Income group, Industries and States.
Vice President of Sustained Dialogue Student Organization
CEO & Head of Research at SpendMatch Inc.
2025 Onward. (Current Role)
Directing program development and evaluation efforts to improve financial access for underrepresented college students.
Leading mixed-methods research, stakeholder interviews, & focus groups, to assess user needs, evaluate implementation processes, and measure impact across diverse student populations.
Providing data-based, continuous feedback for the development of a financial guidance product that streamlines scholarship, aid, grant and loan searches.
Successfully completed a NSF iCorps regional program (Propelus) and NSF iCorps National program (Ascendus) during company customer discovery and business model development.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Snapshot of My Career
SURVEY STATISTICIAN
International Programs Center (IPC)
U.S. Census Bureau
2022 - 2025
In this role, I managed the design, implementation, and evaluation of statistical capacity-building initiatives with national governments across Africa, supported by USAID’s Population and Reproductive Health (PRH) program. I led cross-national collaborations to develop and adapt demographic and statistical products tailored to each country’s context, ensuring alignment with local policy priorities and institutional capacity. A major focus of my work involved piloting and refining a community resilience index that integrated demographic, social, and environmental indicators to measure vulnerability to climate-related disasters in low- and middle-income countries. Through these efforts, I assessed program feasibility, facilitated stakeholder training related to big data initiatives, and coordinated technical workshops to build sustainable analytical capacity within partner institutions. Additionally, I conducted research on demographic dynamics, including fertility, aging, and population momentum, to inform policy-relevant analyses. This experience strengthened my ability to manage complex, multi-stakeholder programs; translate research into actionable policy tools; and ensure that implementation is both data-driven and responsive to community needs.
PUBLIC HEALTH ANALYST
National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)
Center for Disease Control (CDC)
2020-2021
As a Public Health Analyst at the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) within the CDC, I contributed to the design, evaluation, and refinement of national survey instruments to improve data quality and policy relevance. I conducted in-depth cognitive interviews on topics including COVID-19 health care access and service delivery, using participant feedback to identify barriers to comprehension and ensure survey inclusivity across diverse populations. This enabled better data collection by allowing survey creation teams to edit the text of survey questions so that respondents are better able to understand the intent of the questions. Through this exercise, I was at the forefront of understanding what individuals were experiencing in access to Telehealth during the COVID-19 lockdown period. I also developed and implemented a systematic coding framework for open-ended responses in the RANDS dataset, enabling the integration of qualitative insights into quantitative analyses. This experience strengthened my expertise in mixed-methods research, evaluation design, and data interpretation, as well as my ability to translate participant experiences into actionable recommendations for editing the survey instrument.
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FULBRIGHT GRANT
Dissertation Fieldwork
Delhi, India
2018 - 2019
My Dissertation fieldwork was funded by a Fulbright Grant. As a Fulbright Research Scholar, I managed all phases of a large-scale, multi-site research project in India, developing and executing an impact-oriented study on women’s educational, employment, and empowerment outcomes. This work required end-to-end project management, including proposal design, budget oversight, partnership coordination, and data collection across four field sites (Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Karnataka). I collaborated with multiple NGOs, research institutions, and community organizations to align study goals with local priorities and ensure cultural and linguistic accessibility through field staff and translators. Using qualitative methods such as semi-structured interviews and focus groups, I assessed how women’s life experiences intersected with structural barriers and opportunities across regions. I then developed and tested hypotheses through quantitative analysis of nationally representative data, integrating both data streams into a comprehensive impact assessment that formed the foundation of my doctoral dissertation. This experience honed my ability to design, manage, and evaluate complex, multi-stakeholder projects, as well as to translate mixed-methods findings into actionable insights that I presented to India-based stakeholders and at the Fulbright conference in India as well as to the Population Association of America Conference.
INTERNATIONAL CONTRACTOR
Department of Political Affairs (DPA)
United Nations (UN)
2018
As an International Contractor with the United Nations Department of Political Affairs(DPA), I led the evaluation of the Gender/Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) training program to assess its effectiveness, applicability, and global impact among UN staff. I developed and managed multiple data collection instruments, including an online survey, semi-structured interview guides, and conducted a focus group based on protocol I developed, to capture both quantitative and qualitative feedback from participants stationed across continents. I also single-handedly completed the data coding, cleaning, and preparation for analysis, ensuring consistency and validity across diverse response formats. Through systematic analysis, I identified how participants applied training content in their field assignments, evaluated which modules were most and least effective, and produced evidence-based recommendations to guide program improvement and future iterations. This experience strengthened my capacity to design and implement mixed-methods evaluation frameworks, manage data workflows, and convey the most important findings to improve the training to leaders at the DPA.
RESEARCH ASSOCIATE & FELLOW
Lok Foundation ( Impact Investing)
Portfolio Microfinance Company: Ujjivan
2013-2015
As a Research Associate and Fellow at Ujjivan Microfinance, a portfolio company of Lok Capital (an impact investing fund supported by the Rockefeller Foundation and World Bank), I managed multiple responsibilities across field operations, data analysis, and program development. I conducted customer visits across India to evaluate product effectiveness and service quality, while contributing to the design and market testing of innovative loan products tailored to small business needs. I developed Pan-India internal management reports for the Credit Department, translating complex operational and financial data into clear, actionable insights for leadership. Additionally, I designed and implemented survey instruments, conducted pilot surveys on social and political issues to assess impact and shifts in social norms, and analyzed the resulting data to inform product and program strategies. This experience honed my ability to learn quickly, manage multiple initiatives simultaneously, and produce rigorous, understandable reports.
CONSULTANT: WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Friends of Children's Village ( NGO in Bapatla, India)
2019 - 2020
As an external consultant with Friends of Children’s Village, I designed, implemented, and evaluated a teacher professional development program aimed at improving classroom engagement and social-emotional support for primarily orphaned and vulnerable children. I led the creation of an interactive teacher training workshop in 2019, followed by a refresher program in early 2020, focusing on student-centered instructional methods and the development of peer-led learning activities. The program began with an assessment of student needs through classroom observations and teacher-student interactions, ensuring that training content directly addressed real-world challenges. I also established mechanisms for ongoing feedback and impact evaluation, measuring changes in teacher practices, student participation, and the overall learning environment. This experience strengthened my ability to design, manage, and evaluate educational initiatives that foster inclusion, student agency, and community resilience
Dr. Saswathi Natta
Publications
Explore a collection of my latest research findings and upcoming projects:
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PUBLICATIONS
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Natta, S. (2024). Experiencing Caste: Social Distance Is Distinct from Economic Distance (Doctoral dissertation, University of Maryland, College Park). <https://search.proquest.com/openview/295a3adecce5d7d846661d59247d317b/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y>
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Bradatan, C., Natta, S., (2024) Measuring Subnational Resilience in Low-and-Middle-Income Countries International programs Center, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. <https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/international-programs/technical-documentation/methodology/measuring-subnational-resilience.html>
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Natta, S., Goodkind, D. (2024) The Components of Demographic Change: When Does Each Matter Most? Select Topics in International Population and Health, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. <https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/international-programs/events/stiph/components-of-demographic-change.pdf>
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Rusatira, J. C., Uwimana, J. B., Rutagumba, D., Byiringiro, S., Natta, S., Espmark, J., ... & Ndoli, A. D. (2025). Investigating the mental health burden amongst breast and cervical cancer patients in Rwanda using a modified self-reported questionnaire for mental health screening (SRQ-20): A validation study. BMC Women’s Health. Under review
SELECT PROFESSIONAL PAPERS/CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
2025 International Population Conference 2025; Brisbane, Australia
Abstract: “iCRE: Identifying Disadvantaged Communities in Low- and Middle- Income Countries. How to Co-produce Quality Resilience Indexes at Subnational Level” International Programs Center, U.S. Census Bureau
2024 Population Association of America Conference 2024; Columbus, OH
Poster: “Measuring Subnational Resilience in Low- and Middle-Income Countries” International Programs Center, U.S. Census Bureau
2022 Population Association of America Conference 2022; Atlanta, GA
Flash Presentation: “Caste & Community Conflict in India: Is Untouchability still a Factor?”
Poster: “Dalit Women and Work behavior if SES increases: Does "Sanskritization" theory hold up?”
2021 Population Association of America Conference 2021; Virtual
Poster: “Context Specific Women's Empowerment Measures: Education, Labor Force and Caste in India”
2020 Population Association of America Conference 2020; Washington DC (moved online due to COVID)
Flash Presentation: “Intersectionality of Women’s Empowerment: Education & Labor Force Variation across Castes”
2019 Asian & Asian American Studies 2019; Madison, WI
Paper: “Indian Caste Lines & Co-ethnic Divergence: Ethnic and Racial Identity Formation in the U.S."
2019 Fulbright 2019 Conference, South Asian Region; Kochi, India
Presentation: “The Ideal Indian Woman: Family Aspirations and Implications for Women’s Empowerment"
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COMMUNITY ORGANIZING
Community Organizing & Discussion Facilitation
PANEL ON THE UNDERLAYING ISSUES OF NETFLIX SHOW "INDIAN MATCHMAKING"
Aug 29th, 2020
Critical discussion with scholars studying caste and who identify as Dalit about the caste and gender issues normalized in the Netflix show "Indian Matchmaking"
TEACHER TRAINING: CENTERING STUDENTS' NEEDS
June 2019 & Jan 2020
In an effort to better serve orphaned children in southern India, Dr.Natta conducted a teacher training workshops to launch student led activities and build a mental health support network students can rely on for the NGO Friends of Children Village and affiliated school.
HOA PRESIDENT & NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH CO-FOUNDER
2024 Onward
As a dedicated leader in her community, Dr.Natta took the initiative to establish a neighborhood watch in response to being an eye-witness of gun violence and other violent crime in the neighborhood. By strategically positioning her new housing development within the context of local governance and power structures, she advocated for increased accountability from builders and city officials, that safety became a top priority. Through organizing and facilitating numerous city hall meetings, she and her fellow homeowners successfully created a safer environment for pedestrians, implementing better fencing and law enforcement presence, leading to a significant reduction in violent crime and drug activity. As a testament to her efforts, she was honored to be elected as the Homeowners Association president in 2025 by nearly 300 homeowners, allowing her to further champion measures such as enhanced lighting, patrols, and infrastructure improvements that prioritize safety.
