Niti's research interests lie in the intersection between design methods, knowledge systems particularly local, traditional and indigenous knowledges, and participatory social design-driven transformation. She is currently exploring the relationship between post-colonial indigenous research paradigms (Chilisa 2019) and integrated product development strategies for holistic knowledge production that implements cognitive justice (Visvanathan 1997; 2021) for research at the Cultural Interface (Nakata 1997, 2007; Durie 2005). Over 30 years of professional creative practice in design and innovation. This includes 15 years of leading interdisciplinary teams for fieldwork using design anthropology methodologies (rapid ethnography, indepth interviews, day in the life, observations and shadowing in markets, farms, villages, borderlands and more). Fieldwork personally completed in South Africa, The Philippines, India, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and with local assistance in Benin and Malawi. Networks span the African continent. Public recognition of original knowledge production includes Invitation to mainstage of TED Global 2017 in Arusha Tanzania TEDTalk video https://www.ted.com/talks/niti_bhan_the_hidden_opportunities_of_the_informal_economy

My PhD research intertwines Feminist Peace Research, Sociological neoinstitutionalism and sociology of measurement. I study the measurement practices embedded in National Action Plans (NAPs) for the UN Resolution 1325 on Women Peace and Security (WPS), and particularly, the construction and use of indicators. Indicators have become an increasingly important mechanism of governance, as well as knowledge production, and in my study are understood as social practices allowing me to focus not only on what is being measured but also on its effects on the policy field. The project compiled a global dataset of 7500 indicators harvested from all the NAPs adopted between 2005 and 2020, enabling both spatial and linear windows of inquiry. In addition, an ethnography of WPS indicators in Nigeria (conducted during 2020) provides new knowledge about the role of local actors in translating indicators into practice.