Behavioural Insights for Business and Policy
An Online Certificate Programme in Applied Behavioural Science
22 November 2025 - 17 January 2026
8 Week | Cohort Based | Online Programme
Programme Fee: ₹84,999/-
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Programme Overview and Experience
Grounded in theory and evidence while focused on application, the 8-week programme takes you from the core ideas of behavioural science to real-world application. Learn from globally recognised behavioural scientists and practitioners—Dr. Pavan Mamidi and Pooja Haldea—who established India’s first Behavioural Science Lab within the Indian government. Together with Dr. Shagata Mukherjee and other accomplished guest experts, gain insights into nudges, experiments, storytelling, ethnography, social norms, and more.
Translate behavioural insights into solutions for consumer journeys, development programmes, and workplace challenges. Along the way, practise storytelling for influence, build better habits, and collaborate on a live capstone project. You’ll leave with a practical toolkit and a peer network to drive meaningful change.
Programme Faculty
Dr. Pavan Mamidi
Founding Director - Centre for Social and Behaviour Change at Ashoka University
Dr. Pavan Mamidi
CSBC | Visiting Faculty (Practice), LSE | PhD, University of Oxford
Dr. Pavan Mamidi is a senior advisor in policy and applied Behavioural science, with a passion for demystifying complex ideas for management and policy students. As Director of CSBC, he collaborates with NITI Aayog and led the creation of India's first Nudge Unit, along with Behavioural Insights Units in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
His work spans development issues in education, health, nutrition, and gender. Pavan holds a PhD from Oxford, an LL.M. from Harvard, and a Mathematics degree from Osmania University.
Additionally, Pavan takes immense pride in cooking rural Telangana food, and believes that the green chili is good for the soul, and builds character.
Pooja Haldea
Co-founder - Centre for Social and Behaviour Change at Ashoka University
Pooja Haldea
Co-founder - CSBC at Ashoka University
Pooja Haldea is a Senior Advisor at the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change, Ashoka University. Pooja is an expert in applied behavioural science, especially in public health, nutrition, data privacy and financial inclusion. She advises both social and private sector organisations on how to use behavioural science for greater impact.
She helped set up the Centre and led the Centre’s effort to put in place the first Behaviour Insights Unit (Nudge Unit) within the Indian government. She leads the Centre's work on financial inclusion and data privacy. Pooja combines her social sector experience with deep private sector expertise.
Pooja has worked for over a decade for McKinsey & Co. across India and Europe. She then set up and ran the India office for BrainJuicer (now System 1), a global consulting firm. Pooja has an MBA from IIM Bangalore and a Bachelor’s in Mathematics from St. Stephen’s College in Delhi.
Dr. Shagata Mukherjee
Academic Lead, Behavioural Insights Unit of India, NITI Aayog
Shagata Mukherjee
Deputy Director, CSBC | Academic Lead, Behavioural Insights Unit of India, NITI Aayog
Dr Shagata Mukherjee is the Lead - Behavioural Insights Unit of India, NITI Aayog, and a Deputy Director at the Centre for Social and Behavioural Change at Ashoka University.
Prior to this position, Shagata was an Associate Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the Meghnad Desai Academy of Economics. He was also a Visiting Fellow at the Mumbai School of Economics and Public Policy at the University of Mumbai and an Affiliated Faculty at the Centre for Experimental Social Sciences (CESS) Nuffield -FLAME.
He is the recipient of the Vernon L. Smith Young Talent Award in Experimental Finance for his research on gender and microfinance and is a co-founder of the Mumbai Behavioural Network.
Samyak Chakrabarty
Forbes Asia - Most Influential Social Entrepreneur
Samyak Chakrabarty
Founder, Workverse, Nimaya Foundation and Adopt One
Samyak Chakrabarty is a Forbes-listed entrepreneur and founder of Workverse - a simulated workplace environment to train and assess graduates in 21st-century soft skills like creative problem-solving, critical thinking, emotional intelligence and storytelling.
He began his entrepreneurial journey at 16 as a student through Model United Nations initiatives. As a passion project, he is also building a movement, Adopt India, to encourage and enable millennials to consider adoption as a family planning alternative.
His impactful projects include India’s largest 1-1 life-and-career mentoring program, ‘the Green Batti Project’, and ‘Operation Black Dot,’ a voter awareness campaign. He was instrumental in building the country's leading youth marketing and communications agency as the Chief Youth Marketer at DDB Mudra Group, for which he also won the Young Emvie of the Year presented by the Advertising Agencies Association of India Samyak has done his schooling from Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, New Delhi post, where he pursued a Bachelor of Mass Media from Jai Hind College.
Dr. Pavan Mamidi
Founding Director - Centre for Social and Behaviour Change at Ashoka University
Dr. Pavan Mamidi
CSBC | Visiting Faculty (Practice), LSE | PhD, University of Oxford
Dr. Pavan Mamidi is a senior advisor in policy and applied Behavioural science, with a passion for demystifying complex ideas for management and policy students. As Director of CSBC, he collaborates with NITI Aayog and led the creation of India's first Nudge Unit, along with Behavioural Insights Units in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
His work spans development issues in education, health, nutrition, and gender. Pavan holds a PhD from Oxford, an LL.M. from Harvard, and a Mathematics degree from Osmania University.
Additionally, Pavan takes immense pride in cooking rural Telangana food, and believes that the green chili is good for the soul, and builds character.
Pooja Haldea
Co-founder - Centre for Social and Behaviour Change at Ashoka University
Pooja Haldea
Co-founder - CSBC at Ashoka University
Pooja Haldea is a Senior Advisor at the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change, Ashoka University. Pooja is an expert in applied behavioural science, especially in public health, nutrition, data privacy and financial inclusion. She advises both social and private sector organisations on how to use behavioural science for greater impact.
She helped set up the Centre and led the Centre’s effort to put in place the first Behaviour Insights Unit (Nudge Unit) within the Indian government. She leads the Centre's work on financial inclusion and data privacy. Pooja combines her social sector experience with deep private sector expertise.
Pooja has worked for over a decade for McKinsey & Co. across India and Europe. She then set up and ran the India office for BrainJuicer (now System 1), a global consulting firm. Pooja has an MBA from IIM Bangalore and a Bachelor’s in Mathematics from St. Stephen’s College in Delhi.
Dr. Shagata Mukherjee
Academic Lead, Behavioural Insights Unit of India, NITI Aayog
Shagata Mukherjee
Deputy Director, CSBC | Academic Lead, Behavioural Insights Unit of India, NITI Aayog
Dr Shagata Mukherjee is the Lead - Behavioural Insights Unit of India, NITI Aayog, and a Deputy Director at the Centre for Social and Behavioural Change at Ashoka University.
Prior to this position, Shagata was an Associate Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the Meghnad Desai Academy of Economics. He was also a Visiting Fellow at the Mumbai School of Economics and Public Policy at the University of Mumbai and an Affiliated Faculty at the Centre for Experimental Social Sciences (CESS) Nuffield -FLAME.
He is the recipient of the Vernon L. Smith Young Talent Award in Experimental Finance for his research on gender and microfinance and is a co-founder of the Mumbai Behavioural Network.
Samyak Chakrabarty
Forbes Asia - Most Influential Social Entrepreneur
Samyak Chakrabarty
Founder, Workverse, Nimaya Foundation and Adopt One
Samyak Chakrabarty is a Forbes-listed entrepreneur and founder of Workverse - a simulated workplace environment to train and assess graduates in 21st-century soft skills like creative problem-solving, critical thinking, emotional intelligence and storytelling.
He began his entrepreneurial journey at 16 as a student through Model United Nations initiatives. As a passion project, he is also building a movement, Adopt India, to encourage and enable millennials to consider adoption as a family planning alternative.
His impactful projects include India’s largest 1-1 life-and-career mentoring program, ‘the Green Batti Project’, and ‘Operation Black Dot,’ a voter awareness campaign. He was instrumental in building the country's leading youth marketing and communications agency as the Chief Youth Marketer at DDB Mudra Group, for which he also won the Young Emvie of the Year presented by the Advertising Agencies Association of India Samyak has done his schooling from Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, New Delhi post, where he pursued a Bachelor of Mass Media from Jai Hind College.
Dr. Sanna Balsari-Palsule
Visiting Faculty, Ashoka University
PhD University of Cambridge
Dr. Sanna Balsari-Palsule
Associate Professor (Visiting Faculty), Ashoka University | Adjunct Faculty, Golden Gate University | PhD, University of Cambridge
Sanna is a behavioural scientist, lecturer and coach. For the past ten years, she has worked at the intersection of academia and applied science, drawing on insights from social psychology, behavioural economics and neuroscience to make self-improvement relevant, accessible and joyful.
Sanna has rich experience in both the private and public sector, designing and delivering training programmes and workshops on behaviour change, including the BBC and United Nations.
She has published a science-based board game ‘Who are you?’ and a trilogy of personality books with Hachette UK. Her research has been featured in the World Economic Forum, The Atlantic, The Wire, amongst others. She is a columnist for Fast Company and Psychology Today.
She completed her PhD from the University of Cambridge and has taught at the Judge Business School, Cambridge and is adjunct faculty at Ashoka University and Golden Gate University.
Dr. Pavan Mamidi
Dr. Pawan Mamidi
Director, CSBC
Ph. D. University of Oxford
Pavan is an empirically informed senior advisor in the policy space, and a dedicated teacher, who believes in democratising education, and demystifying complex ideas, and communicating them effectively to management and policy students. Substantively, he pursues two streams of professional work and scholarship - law/policy, and applied behaviour science.
He currently serves as the Director of the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change at Ashoka University, and also works closely with Niti Aayog. He has led the initiative to set up India’s first Nudge Unit, the Behavioral Insights Unit of India, which is an embedded team out of Niti. He has also helped set up a Behavioral Insights Units for the states of Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. His main work focuses on development related issues in education, health, nutrition, and gender.
Additionally, Pavan takes immense pride in cooking rural Telangana food, and believes that the green chilly is good for the soul, and builds character!
He has a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the University of Oxford, a Masters (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School, and a highly subsidised and inexpensive Bachelor's in Mathematics from the finest public institution in the world - Osmania University!
Dr. Pawan Mamidi
Director, CSBC
Ph. D. University of Oxford
Pavan is an empirically informed senior advisor in the policy space, and a dedicated teacher, who believes in democratising education, and demystifying complex ideas, and communicating them effectively to management and policy students. Substantively, he pursues two streams of professional work and scholarship - law/policy, and applied behaviour science.
He currently serves as the Director of the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change at Ashoka University, and also works closely with Niti Aayog. He has led the initiative to set up India’s first Nudge Unit, the Behavioral Insights Unit of India, which is an embedded team out of Niti. He has also helped set up a Behavioral Insights Units for the states of Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. His main work focuses on development related issues in education, health, nutrition, and gender.
Additionally, Pavan takes immense pride in cooking rural Telangana food, and believes that the green chilly is good for the soul, and builds character!
He has a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the University of Oxford, a Masters (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School, and a highly subsidised and inexpensive Bachelor's in Mathematics from the finest public institution in the world - Osmania University!
Dr. Pavan Mamidi
Dr. Pawan Mamidi
Director, CSBC
Ph. D. University of Oxford
Pavan is an empirically informed senior advisor in the policy space, and a dedicated teacher, who believes in democratising education, and demystifying complex ideas, and communicating them effectively to management and policy students. Substantively, he pursues two streams of professional work and scholarship - law/policy, and applied behaviour science.
He currently serves as the Director of the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change at Ashoka University, and also works closely with Niti Aayog. He has led the initiative to set up India’s first Nudge Unit, the Behavioral Insights Unit of India, which is an embedded team out of Niti. He has also helped set up a Behavioral Insights Units for the states of Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. His main work focuses on development related issues in education, health, nutrition, and gender.
Additionally, Pavan takes immense pride in cooking rural Telangana food, and believes that the green chilly is good for the soul, and builds character!
He has a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the University of Oxford, a Masters (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School, and a highly subsidised and inexpensive Bachelor's in Mathematics from the finest public institution in the world - Osmania University!
Dr. Pawan Mamidi
Director, CSBC
Ph. D. University of Oxford
Pavan is an empirically informed senior advisor in the policy space, and a dedicated teacher, who believes in democratising education, and demystifying complex ideas, and communicating them effectively to management and policy students. Substantively, he pursues two streams of professional work and scholarship - law/policy, and applied behaviour science.
He currently serves as the Director of the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change at Ashoka University, and also works closely with Niti Aayog. He has led the initiative to set up India’s first Nudge Unit, the Behavioral Insights Unit of India, which is an embedded team out of Niti. He has also helped set up a Behavioral Insights Units for the states of Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. His main work focuses on development related issues in education, health, nutrition, and gender.
Additionally, Pavan takes immense pride in cooking rural Telangana food, and believes that the green chilly is good for the soul, and builds character!
He has a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the University of Oxford, a Masters (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School, and a highly subsidised and inexpensive Bachelor's in Mathematics from the finest public institution in the world - Osmania University!
Dr. Sanna Balsari-Palsule
Visiting Faculty, Ashoka University
PhD University of Cambridge
Dr. Sanna Balsari-Palsule
Associate Professor (Visiting Faculty), Ashoka University | Adjunct Faculty, Golden Gate University | PhD, University of Cambridge
Sanna is a behavioural scientist, lecturer and coach. For the past ten years, she has worked at the intersection of academia and applied science, drawing on insights from social psychology, behavioural economics and neuroscience to make self-improvement relevant, accessible and joyful.
Sanna has rich experience in both the private and public sector, designing and delivering training programmes and workshops on behaviour change, including the BBC and United Nations.
She has published a science-based board game ‘Who are you?’ and a trilogy of personality books with Hachette UK. Her research has been featured in the World Economic Forum, The Atlantic, The Wire, amongst others. She is a columnist for Fast Company and Psychology Today.
She completed her PhD from the University of Cambridge and has taught at the Judge Business School, Cambridge and is adjunct faculty at Ashoka University and Golden Gate University.
Dr. Pavan Mamidi
Dr. Pawan Mamidi
Director, CSBC
Ph. D. University of Oxford
Pavan is an empirically informed senior advisor in the policy space, and a dedicated teacher, who believes in democratising education, and demystifying complex ideas, and communicating them effectively to management and policy students. Substantively, he pursues two streams of professional work and scholarship - law/policy, and applied behaviour science.
He currently serves as the Director of the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change at Ashoka University, and also works closely with Niti Aayog. He has led the initiative to set up India’s first Nudge Unit, the Behavioral Insights Unit of India, which is an embedded team out of Niti. He has also helped set up a Behavioral Insights Units for the states of Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. His main work focuses on development related issues in education, health, nutrition, and gender.
Additionally, Pavan takes immense pride in cooking rural Telangana food, and believes that the green chilly is good for the soul, and builds character!
He has a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the University of Oxford, a Masters (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School, and a highly subsidised and inexpensive Bachelor's in Mathematics from the finest public institution in the world - Osmania University!
Dr. Pawan Mamidi
Director, CSBC
Ph. D. University of Oxford
Pavan is an empirically informed senior advisor in the policy space, and a dedicated teacher, who believes in democratising education, and demystifying complex ideas, and communicating them effectively to management and policy students. Substantively, he pursues two streams of professional work and scholarship - law/policy, and applied behaviour science.
He currently serves as the Director of the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change at Ashoka University, and also works closely with Niti Aayog. He has led the initiative to set up India’s first Nudge Unit, the Behavioral Insights Unit of India, which is an embedded team out of Niti. He has also helped set up a Behavioral Insights Units for the states of Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. His main work focuses on development related issues in education, health, nutrition, and gender.
Additionally, Pavan takes immense pride in cooking rural Telangana food, and believes that the green chilly is good for the soul, and builds character!
He has a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the University of Oxford, a Masters (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School, and a highly subsidised and inexpensive Bachelor's in Mathematics from the finest public institution in the world - Osmania University!
Dr. Pavan Mamidi
Dr. Pawan Mamidi
Director, CSBC
Ph. D. University of Oxford
Pavan is an empirically informed senior advisor in the policy space, and a dedicated teacher, who believes in democratising education, and demystifying complex ideas, and communicating them effectively to management and policy students. Substantively, he pursues two streams of professional work and scholarship - law/policy, and applied behaviour science.
He currently serves as the Director of the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change at Ashoka University, and also works closely with Niti Aayog. He has led the initiative to set up India’s first Nudge Unit, the Behavioral Insights Unit of India, which is an embedded team out of Niti. He has also helped set up a Behavioral Insights Units for the states of Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. His main work focuses on development related issues in education, health, nutrition, and gender.
Additionally, Pavan takes immense pride in cooking rural Telangana food, and believes that the green chilly is good for the soul, and builds character!
He has a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the University of Oxford, a Masters (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School, and a highly subsidised and inexpensive Bachelor's in Mathematics from the finest public institution in the world - Osmania University!
Dr. Pawan Mamidi
Director, CSBC
Ph. D. University of Oxford
Pavan is an empirically informed senior advisor in the policy space, and a dedicated teacher, who believes in democratising education, and demystifying complex ideas, and communicating them effectively to management and policy students. Substantively, he pursues two streams of professional work and scholarship - law/policy, and applied behaviour science.
He currently serves as the Director of the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change at Ashoka University, and also works closely with Niti Aayog. He has led the initiative to set up India’s first Nudge Unit, the Behavioral Insights Unit of India, which is an embedded team out of Niti. He has also helped set up a Behavioral Insights Units for the states of Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. His main work focuses on development related issues in education, health, nutrition, and gender.
Additionally, Pavan takes immense pride in cooking rural Telangana food, and believes that the green chilly is good for the soul, and builds character!
He has a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the University of Oxford, a Masters (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School, and a highly subsidised and inexpensive Bachelor's in Mathematics from the finest public institution in the world - Osmania University!
Dr. Pavan Mamidi
Dr. Pawan Mamidi
Director, CSBC
Ph. D. University of Oxford
Pavan is an empirically informed senior advisor in the policy space, and a dedicated teacher, who believes in democratising education, and demystifying complex ideas, and communicating them effectively to management and policy students. Substantively, he pursues two streams of professional work and scholarship - law/policy, and applied behaviour science.
He currently serves as the Director of the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change at Ashoka University, and also works closely with Niti Aayog. He has led the initiative to set up India’s first Nudge Unit, the Behavioral Insights Unit of India, which is an embedded team out of Niti. He has also helped set up a Behavioral Insights Units for the states of Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. His main work focuses on development related issues in education, health, nutrition, and gender.
Additionally, Pavan takes immense pride in cooking rural Telangana food, and believes that the green chilly is good for the soul, and builds character!
He has a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the University of Oxford, a Masters (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School, and a highly subsidised and inexpensive Bachelor's in Mathematics from the finest public institution in the world - Osmania University!
Dr. Pawan Mamidi
Director, CSBC
Ph. D. University of Oxford
Pavan is an empirically informed senior advisor in the policy space, and a dedicated teacher, who believes in democratising education, and demystifying complex ideas, and communicating them effectively to management and policy students. Substantively, he pursues two streams of professional work and scholarship - law/policy, and applied behaviour science.
He currently serves as the Director of the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change at Ashoka University, and also works closely with Niti Aayog. He has led the initiative to set up India’s first Nudge Unit, the Behavioral Insights Unit of India, which is an embedded team out of Niti. He has also helped set up a Behavioral Insights Units for the states of Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. His main work focuses on development related issues in education, health, nutrition, and gender.
Additionally, Pavan takes immense pride in cooking rural Telangana food, and believes that the green chilly is good for the soul, and builds character!
He has a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the University of Oxford, a Masters (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School, and a highly subsidised and inexpensive Bachelor's in Mathematics from the finest public institution in the world - Osmania University!
Want to know more?
Our team will be happy to answer any questions you might have or help you with the enrollment process.
22 Nov 2025 - 17 Jan 2026
programme fee: ₹84,999/-
Group Discounts available, please indicate details in the application form.
This course is for you if you are a …
This course is for you if you are a leader, manager, or change-maker looking to use behavioural science to solve concrete problems.
Understand the first principles of behavioural science so you can design strategies for markets, policies, and products that convert awareness into action, sustain adoption, and scale impact by starting from human behaviour, not assumptions, while learning alongside peers from business and policy, exchanging insights across worlds.
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Hear From Our Alumni
Aishwarya Ravindran
CEO, Karmine Consulting
I particularly enjoyed the pre-reading material and links for reference... This has been a great introduction to the behavioural science domain and I am looking forward to immersing myself more and gaining more in depth knowledge.
Jyotirmay Raghuwanshi
AGM & Head: Digital CX, Godrej
As a CX leader, I joined to decode customer behavior scientifically. The program reshaped how I perceive decisions and people—enabling more empathetic, data-driven leadership. Faculty like Prof. Pavan Mamidi and Dr. Shagata Mukherjee brought behavioral science alive through engaging, real-world insights. It’s a transformative experience for anyone designing journeys or driving change
Kaushalya Guduru
MD, Legal and Compliance, Accordian India
It was an excellent experience overall. The professors and teaching staff really helped to ease matters and simplify concepts. I hope to be able to implement learning going forward.
Hear From Our Alumni
Aishwarya Ravindran
CEO, Karmine Consulting
I particularly enjoyed the pre-reading material and links for reference... This has been a great introduction to the behavioural science domain and I am looking forward to immersing myself more and gaining more in depth knowledge.
Jyotirmay Raghuwanshi
Associate General Manager & Head: Digital CX
As a CX leader, I joined to decode customer behavior scientifically. The program reshaped how I perceive decisions and people—enabling more empathetic, data-driven leadership. Faculty like Prof. Pavan Mamidi and Dr. Shagata Mukherjee brought behavioral science alive through engaging, real-world insights. It’s a .transformative experience for anyone designing journeys or driving change
Kaushalya Guduru
MD, Legal and Compliance, Accordian India
It was an excellent experience overall. The professors and teaching staff really helped to ease matters and simplify concepts. I hope to be able to implement learning going forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is this course for?
For leaders interested in understanding human behaviour to solve problems and drive change at work; whether in sales and marketing, strategic communications or digital innovation, across the private and public sector.
Do I need a background in behavioural science?
No prior experience is required. The course is designed for learners from diverse backgrounds.
Will I receive a certificate?
Yes, participants who complete the course successfully will receive a certificate of completion from Ashoka University.
What is the course fee?
The programme fee is ₹84,999 (inclusive of all taxes and duties).
Are any discounts available?
Yes, an early-bird discount is available until 5th October. After that, group applicants are eligible for special discounts.
Can I join the programme while working full-time?
Yes, the flexible online format is designed to fit into the schedule of working professionals. Class recordings will be available.
How do I apply?
You can apply by filling in the application form (Link Here).
Who do I contact for more information?
For any questions, reach out to courses@x.ashoka.edu.in or call us on +91 7497099940 | Whatsapp +91 9996038749
