Future Leader profile: Kaustubh Adhikari 

 
Position: Lecturer in Statistics at the Open University 

Education: Undergrad and masters in statistics from the Indian Statistical Institute 
 
When I was in high school, we had some choices for the final STEM subject to study for our exams. I picked statistics because I liked math, but also because I liked visualisation even more.  
 
Leadership philosophy: Leadership is about mentorship and improving the field 
 
Leadership has two aspects to me. One is mentoring people to advance them in their careers and more broadly supporting them. The other aspect is to lead the directions of thought a field is taking to achieve certain goals that improve the field. 
 
Motivations as a Future Leader: To bolster diversity and give back to minority communities 
 
I feel this is an excellent opportunity for me to contribute back to the community and improve on the dimensions of inclusion and diversity. 
 
Childhood dream job: Engineer 
 
When I was a child I was fascinated with cars. Ordinary families in India couldn’t afford a car back then – the best one could do was one of the scooters you see in the movie Roman Holiday. You may have heard the stereotype that STEM students in India can only have two acceptable careers – doctors or engineers!  
 
Role models: My university professors 
 
Starting university for the first time, we were in awe of our professors, many of whom had degrees from abroad with a much broader perspective of the world than we had seen. Their careers and their advice inspired me a lot in pursuing a career in statistics. 
 
Advice to aspiring statisticians: Network and be open to new opportunities 
 
Always look out for opportunities, especially unusual ones, that can boost your CV in a wider variety of ways 
 
Hobbies: Spending time in the peace and quiet of nature and travelling around the world