Data analysis is key to a good research career

Tanvi Anandpara did chemical engineering from Mumbai University, but through most of her career, she’s been working with data. Today, she’s based in California, designing research plans at US Bank, the fifth largest bank in the United States. She leads standalone research studies to get a deeper understanding of technology and ethics sentiment at the organisation.
Tanvi says creativity with numbers has long been her primary strength.This encouraged her to pursue a Master of Science in marketing analytics from Bentley University’s graduate school of business in Boston. “These two degrees were like a match made in heaven in my case to help position myself as a researcher,” she says.
Tanvi started as a research analyst intern with ADT Security Services and KRC Research (part of advertising company IPG), which gave her an idea of the corporate and agency world. She then took up a full-time opportunity at Exact Media, a Cincinnati-based CPG (consumer packaged goods) startup as a consumer insights strategist. Here, she got a chance to work with CPG giants like P&G, Unilever, and PepsiCo.
“I was eager to move to California, which then prompted my move to the media and analytics space with AKQA (WPP Group), before I found my home with US Bank,” she says.
It’s now been over four years, and she has had a chance to wear various hats at US Bank – from employee research to digital research. Tanvi says she has used technology to automate, and improve efficiency, accuracy, and depth of insights.
“Data collection is key for any researcher. Technology has revolutionised data collection – surveys used to only be paper-based in the past; now, the same can be done on various devices which encourages higher participation rates. There are different ways surveys are distributed – via emails, through persistent static links on platforms, surveys that pop up on your screen from time to time. Such data that is collected in real-time provides results instantly. This is crucial for making improvements and addressing issues,” she says.
Companies today are also able to combine survey data with customer records, social media interactions, and more, to create a comprehensive view of the target audience. Tanvi has used technology to integrate such various data sources. AI and ML are then used to make predictions, analyse sentiment, helping organisations to make data-driven decisions.
“Analysing text and speech data today allows a deeper understanding of emotions and opinions. Tools like Tableau and Power BI help bring numbers to life through visuals that are interactive. This makes it easier for stakeholders to grasp complex data and insights quickly,” Tanvi says.
The most important role of tech in research, she says, is data security. Handling sensitive information requires robust security measures, ensuring data privacy and compliance with regulations.
Tanvi says the basis of research, be it customer research, ad effectiveness research, employee research, or digital research, is the same, and can be applied across industries. “Data analysis is the stepping stone towards a successful research career. Invest time in learning different tools and programming languages like R, Python, and Tableau,” she advises aspiring researchers.