Kazbi Soonawalla

Tutorial Fellow in Management
Senior Research Fellow in Accounting
College Dean

Dr Kazbi Soonawalla originally took up engineering, but after three years of study in India, decided it wasn’t for her. Rather than wanting to know how things work she was keen to view the world through a social scientist lens. Eager to acquire this new skillset she took the decision to change direction.

The flexibility of the US education system was a huge attraction. After gaining a BA at Boston University she went on to Stanford, first to complete an MS in Statistics, then an MA in Economics and a PhD in Business Administration. After what she describes as six fantastic years on the West Coast, she was ready for her next move, this time to the UK, to take up a role as Lecturer at the LSE.

She joined Keble as a Visiting Stipendiary Lecturer in 2012 and was made a Senior Research Fellow in Accounting at the Saïd Business School (SBS) and Tutorial Fellow in Management at Keble in 2013.

She much prefers academia to the business world, partly because she can wear shorts to work, but also because academia allows her the freedom to pursue her curiosities. The students keep her engaged and give insights into what makes organisations work. She was particularly drawn to the subject of accounting because, “it’s a way of putting order, structure and rigour into trying to understand decisions that are not always rational.”

Kazbi’s life these days is about finding a balance—a balance between work and her three children; a balance between Keble and SBS. As Dean, Kazbi is in charge of welfare and discipline; her decision to take on the role despite her hectic schedule comes back to her curiosity about social science and developing an understanding about how organisations function. Her mantra: it doesn’t matter what you do, but whatever you choose, give it good go.