Featured scientist: Prof Sonali Das
Prof Sonali Das is a statistician and interdisciplinary researcher at the University of Pretoria whose research is at the intersection of climate, business, and data science. Her research explores how climate-induced stressors shape decision-making, and how statistical methods can be used to better understand complex systems linking environment, society, and technology.
From Kolkata (nee Calcutta) to interdisciplinary research
Prof Das’s academic journey began in Kolkata, India, where she studied Statistics at both undergraduate and master’s level. After working as a scientist at the Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, she pursued a PhD at the University of Connecticut in the United States, focusing on Bayesian structural equations modelling.
A key shift in her research direction came in 2007 when she joined the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria. There, collaboration with researchers across disciplines exposed her to the real-world impacts of climate variability on both natural and built environments. This experience shaped her current focus on the intersection between climate and business decision-making.
Research at the intersection
Now in the Business Management Department at the University of Pretoria, her work brings together statistics, data science, and natural language processing to study how organisations respond to both short- and long-term climate pressures. Her research makes use of both traditional datasets and emerging forms of data, reflecting the evolving nature of how knowledge is generated and applied.
As a NITheCS Associate, Prof Das contributes to a broader research community focused on addressing real-world challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration and advanced analytical methods.
A research philosophy
Her approach to research is grounded in curiosity, reflection, and patience. She emphasises the importance of engaging with domain experts, not only to understand the data, but also the context in which problems arise, and how relevant data is collected, and why. This allows for research that is both methodologically rigorous and socially relevant.
Looking ahead
Prof Das’s current interests lie in combining conventional data with unconventional sources such as audio and opinion-based data particularly within the context of climate, business, and emerging technologies like generative AI.
