A native of New Delhi, India, Mani Pande brings an international perspective to IFTF. Her primary research responsibilities at IFTF include design, implementation, and analysis of surveys. Her research interests include the future of quantitative analysis in social sciences, global competition in science and technology, gender, and demography. She recently conducted a survey that looked at future expectations of today's youth.

Prior to becoming a statistician, Mani worked with The Times of India and The Pioneer in New Delhi as a journalist for five years where she wrote on crime, education, political, and media issues. Her work also featured in the international business magazine, The Far Eastern Economic Review. She also worked with the UNICEF as a copy writer in New Delhi. She has also taught courses on research methods and gender.

Mani has a Ph.D. in sociology, with specialization in quantitative analysis. Her dissertation was based on an ethnographic study of Indian women working in the software industry.