Sakshi Ghai is an Assistant Professor of Psychological and Behavioural Science at The London School of Economics and Political Science. Before joining ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳, she was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, and currently holds the Committee for Children Junior Research Fellowship at Linacre College, University of Oxford. Her work encompasses two complementary strands of research: applied research into the effects of digital technologies on young people’s well-being, and meta-scientific research into the diversity of behavioural science.
Firstly, Sakshi explores how digital technologies, such as social media, online gaming, and AI, affect the well-being and online safety of vulnerable young populations. Her PhD focused on developing a culturally informed approach to understanding the nuanced risks (e.g., online child sexual abuse and exploitation) and benefits (e.g., digital inclusion) among a hard-to-reach group of rural girls and adolescents from 13 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
In the second strand of research, Sakshi addresses critical issues of sample diversity, generalisability and equitable open science. Her work aims to diversify research samples to o include most of the world’s population living in the Global South and poses culturally relevant and methodologically rigorous questions about human behaviour. She employs mixed-methodological and interdisciplinary approaches, integrating insights from philosophy of science, behavioural economics, and social psychology, and values collaboration with mission-driven partners.
Sakshi has diverse professional experience spanning across corporate (Ogilvy), academic institutions (the Wharton School, the Vedica Scholars Program for Women) and international development (World Bank eMBeD) in India and US. Sakshi holds a BA (Hons) in Philosophy from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi, a Master’s in Behavioral and Decision Sciences from the University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD in Psychology from the University of Cambridge, where she was affiliated with the Department of Psychology and the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit. She was also a 2015 Young India Fellow at Ashoka University.
Awards
- UK Women of the Future Award (Science Category)
- Society for Improving Psychological Science Mission Award
- Psychology of Technology Dissertation Award
- Jenessa Shapiro Graduate Research Award, Society for Personality and Social Psychology
- Researching Injustice and Social Equality (RISE) award, Association for Psychological Sciences