After completing her Bachelor in Arts in Economics in 2008 from Ramjas College, University of Delhi, Parul earned a masters degree in Rural Management (PGPM-RM) from the Xavier Institute of Management in Bhubaneswar (XIMB). While at XIMB, she attended various field training programs in rural Orissa organized around themes such as social sector research and natural resource management. Last summer, as an intern at the Small Enterprise Finance Centre (SEFC) at the Institute for Financial Management and Research, she helped research chit funds for a project on innovative financing for low-income households. She has also conducted independent research on urban poverty and migration in Delhi and Bhubaneswar. Parul joined CMF as a Research Associate in May 2010 and is currently working on the Map of Microfinance.

E-mail address: parul.agarwal@ifmr.ac.in