Poornika Ananth is an Assistant Professor of Innovation Management in the Department of Technology and Operations Management at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and an Honorary Research Associate at UCL School of Management, where she received her PhD in Organisations and Innovation. She also holds an MSc in International Strategy and Economics from University of St Andrews. Poornika has a background in banking, having worked with Citibank in Europe and the Middle East.

In her research she explores topics related to creativity, sustainability, and problem solving at work. The empirical settings that are of particular interest to her include theatre, architecture, and radio production. This is driven by her personal interests and experiences working in theatre and guest presenting on BBC Radio London. Her work has recently been published in academic texts and handbooks and disseminated through panels, roundtables and talks in academia.