MPP Candidate, University of Chicago

Hari Dharshini

Koundinya Swaminathen

MPP, UChicago HarrisGPA 3.75B.Sc. Econ & FinanceBain & Company

Data Analytics, Policy Analysis, and Strategic Decision-Making Under Uncertainty

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Hari Dharshini Koundinya Swaminathen
Policy AnalysisCorporate FinanceData AnalyticsStataPanel DataUChicago HarrisEconometricsFinancial ModelingPublic PolicyStrategic ResearchPolicy AnalysisCorporate FinanceData AnalyticsStataPanel DataUChicago HarrisEconometricsFinancial ModelingPublic PolicyStrategic Research

Technical Proficiency

Analytical Toolkit

Stata

Regression Analysis & Panel Data

Fixed Effects ModelsPanel Data AnalysisStatistical Tests
Excel

Data Analysis & Financial Models

Financial ModelingPivot TablesVLOOKUP/INDEX-MATCH
Python

Data Analysis & Scripting

PandasData CleaningStatistical Analysis
R

Statistical Computing

Regression AnalysisTime SeriesData Visualization
PowerPoint

Executive Presentations

Client DecksData StorytellingStrategy Presentations
Airtable

Workflow Automation

Database DesignAutomated WorkflowsForm Standardization
Certifications
NSE Academy - Online Stock Market for BeginnersScore: 86
Integrated Risk Management Level 1Cleared
Integrated Risk Management Level 2Cleared

Career Trajectory

Experience

Analytical rigor and stakeholder coordination across finance, policy, and consulting.

Social Impact Solutions

Apr 2026 - May 2026

Intern

Remote

30+

Funders Per Engagement

4

Funding Channels

Multi-Sector

Practice Area

Researched and qualified 30+ funding opportunities per client engagement across federal, state, county, and foundation channels, screening candidates against eligibility, geography, and budget criteria.

Built client-ready research deliverables (pipeline tracker + strategic funder profile) with verified application URLs, deadline calendars, and contact information, enabling clients to action submissions immediately upon handoff.

Conducted competitive landscape analysis across regional, statewide, and national grantmakers in maternal health and workforce development sectors, producing portfolio-mix recommendations balancing near-term revenue against multi-year capacity-building.

Identified existing-relationship and past-grantee pathways clients had not previously surfaced, expanding actionable opportunities by applying structured filtering against published funder criteria.

Researched government fee-for-service contracts and grants (federal, state, county) for nonprofit clients across distinct program areas, adapting search methodology to each client's service model and geographic scope.

Bain & Company

Jan 2024 - Jul 2024

Intern Analyst, Corporate Finance

Gurgaon, India

Corporate Finance

Focus Area

6

Months

Conducted financial analysis of real-life cases for various companies to identify key financial trends and provide strategic recommendations.

Performed in-depth industry analysis for current and prospective clients to evaluate competitive standing and identify growth opportunities.

Developed strategies to enhance total shareholder returns by aligning business practices with investor expectations.

Illinois Department of Labor

Jun 2025 - Aug 2025

Intern, Fair Labor Standards Division

Chicago, Illinois

300-400

Active Cases

500+

Workflows Redesigned

150+

Stakeholders

Operated in a high-volume environment, reconciling financial records of 300-400 active cases by validating documentation and investigating discrepancies.

Worked directly with 150+ external stakeholders to clarify requirements, resolve data gaps, and maintain accurate information flow.

Coordinated inputs across 4 internal teams and 15+ stakeholders to support rollout of a new case-management system.

ERM Advisory

Feb 2023 - May 2023

Intern

Online

Risk Consulting

Sector

4

Months

Conducted research on existing risk consulting firms to gather insights for website development, leading to a more competitive online presence.

Wrote and edited blogs on Risk Management topics to engage the audience and enhance online visibility.

GUIDANCE TN Industries

Jul 2022 - Aug 2022

Policy Research Intern

Chennai, India

10

Country Profiles

OECD

Focus

Analyzed business R&D expenses of OECD member nations to identify spending patterns and trends for policy comparisons.

Researched strategies adoptable by the Indian government to improve efficiency and innovation.

Used Excel to create detailed profiles on ten countries with data-driven insights.

Swipe to explore

Leadership Architecture

Teaching & Organizational Impact

At Harris School, UChicago

At Shiv Nadar University

Research Archive

Selected Analytical Work

Master's Thesis

Two-Era Cross-State Study

+0.34

PMJDY Elasticity (Mature Era)

Digital Payments and Financial Inclusion in India: A State-Level Look at the Early and Mature UPI Eras

#PanelData#FinancialInclusion#UPI#PMJDY

Two parallel state-level regressions, five years apart, give the same answer: financial-inclusion programs that decouple account access from income leave a measurable footprint on per-capita digital-payment use beyond the income gradient — market-allocated infrastructure does not.

Interactive Dashboard

Live Dashboard

28

Assets Tracked Live

The Ripple Effect: Tracking the US-Iran Conflict's Market Impact

#FinancialMarkets#Geopolitics#Streamlit#DataViz

A multi-page Streamlit dashboard visualizing how the US-Iran conflict reshaped global markets as a ripple radiating across five concentric rings of impact — from the oil epicenter to global fear gauges. Every chart and paragraph regenerates from live Yahoo Finance data.

Policy Memo

Top 4 Dean's Selection

25%

Revenue Earmark Proposed

A Holistic Regulatory Approach to Online Sports Gambling

#FiscalPolicy#BehavioralEconomics#StateRegulation

Evidence-based regulatory framework for online gambling that balances fiscal benefits with harm mitigation through behavioral safeguards and targeted revenue allocation.

Research Paper

Conference Presentation

17%

Productivity Drop Found

Bleeding Labour: Menstruation and its Effect on Productivity

#HealthEconomics#LaborProductivity#GenderStudies

Cross-sectional study quantifying the effect of menstruation on labor productivity among students and service-sector workers in India, finding a 17% reduction in productivity.

Research Project

U.S.-Wide

Walmart Analysis

The Economic Impact of Retail Mask Policies

#RegressionAnalysis#TimeSeries#PublicHealth

Analyzed the impact of the May 2021 U.S. policy change on mask mandates for vaccinated individuals on daily foot traffic in Walmart stores using regression analysis and time series in R.

At the Core

I chose to pursue a Master of Public Policyto apply economic and analytical reasoningin environments that are complex, imperfect, and real,where decisions affect people's lives.

My background has been about understanding complexity, bringing structure to ambiguity, and contributing to thoughtful decision-making. Whether in financial analysis, policy research, or public-sector operations, I have consistently sought environments where rigorous analysis serves a meaningful purpose.

From economics and finance at Shiv Nadar to corporate finance at Bain, public-sector operations at the Illinois Department of Labor, and policy training at Harris, I have intentionally explored diverse environments, building judgment through breadth before depth.