Meet Our Team

Ujwal Arkalgud
Executive Vice President
Ujwal is an award-winning cultural anthropologist and a pioneer in digital ethnography and the study of implicit and symbolic meaning using the internet. In 2015, he co-founded MotivBase, which is the world’s first predictive anthropology research technology that enables the study of meaning and consumer beliefs with big data. He speaks passionately and keynotes on the value of anthropology to corporate innovation across major conferences around the globe and has written two books on the topic. His most recent book, Microcultures: Understanding the Consumer Forces That Will Shape the Future of Your Business, was published in 2020. Since the acquisition of MotivBase by Lux Research in April 2022, Ujwal serves as the Executive Vice President and Group Director for the Anthropology and Consumer Insights portion of Lux Research’s business.
Ujwal is an award-winning cultural anthropologist and a pioneer in digital ethnography and the study of implicit and symbolic meaning using the internet. In 2015, he co-founded MotivBase, which is the world’s first predictive anthropology research technology that enables the study of meaning and consumer beliefs with big data. He speaks passionately and keynotes on the value of anthropology to corporate innovation across major conferences around the globe and has written two books on the topic. His most recent book, Microcultures: Understanding the Consumer Forces That Will Shape the Future of Your Business, was published in 2020.
Since the acquisition of MotivBase by Lux Research in April 2022, Ujwal serves as the Executive Vice President and Group Director for the Anthropology and Consumer Insights portion of Lux Research’s business.

Samhitha Udupa
VP Product Operations
Samhitha is the VP of Product Operations at Lux. Her contributions in advisory projects have facilitated commercialization of technologies in advanced building materials, nanomaterials manufacturing processes, building-integrated photovoltaics, novel drug-delivery technologies, and nano-catalysts, to name a few. Prior to her consulting work at Lux Research, Samhitha was a major contributor to the Biosciences Intelligence team, where she has conducted extensive primary and secondary research in biofuels, biomaterials, targeted delivery, synthetic biology, and other areas of emerging biosciences. Samhitha joined the Lux Research team from University of Pennsylvania where she co-designed a diagnostic instrument that measures torque and range-of-motion of rotator cuff muscles in patients suffering from chronic shoulder pain (patent pending). Samhitha holds a B.S. in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylva
Samhitha is the VP of Product Operations at Lux. Her contributions in advisory projects have facilitated commercialization of technologies in advanced building materials, nanomaterials manufacturing processes, building-integrated photovoltaics, novel drug-delivery technologies, and nano-catalysts, to name a few. Prior to her consulting work at Lux Research, Samhitha was a major contributor to the Biosciences Intelligence team, where she has conducted extensive primary and secondary research in biofuels, biomaterials, targeted delivery, synthetic biology, and other areas of emerging biosciences.
Samhitha joined the Lux Research team from University of Pennsylvania where she co-designed a diagnostic instrument that measures torque and range-of-motion of rotator cuff muscles in patients suffering from chronic shoulder pain (patent pending).
Samhitha holds a B.S. in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylva

Naveen Krishnamurthy
Vice President, Executive Partners
As Vice President of Lux Executive Partners, Naveen Krishnamurthy leads high-impact relationships with companies navigating multidecade transitions. In his role, Naveen brings about important connections among CXOs at peer-group companies, engages Lux’s repository of research across multiple areas of emerging innovation, and advises clients on strategic growth imperatives in diverse industries. Naveen brings two decades of research, industry, and consulting experience in commercially viable innovation to address entrenched problems. Most recently, Naveen’s work has spanned ideation, market penetration, and transaction due diligence for clients on three continents. Prior to joining Lux Research, Naveen served as business development manager at Harvest Power, a waste-to-energy developer funded by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, where he evaluated technologies, developed economic and strategic analyses, and assisted in executing several acquisitions. In his consulting roles before Lux, Naveen helped venture capital and buyout firms analyze industries, assess growth opportunities, and identify attractive targets in carbon markets, emission control, healthcare IT, packaging, testing & measurement, and food & beverage for Firelake Capital, Graham Partners, and Lux Capital. Previously, as an environmental engineer at AECOM, Naveen conducted design, planning, and construction management for water/wastewater treatment, solid & hazardous waste management, and air pollution control for utilities, federal agencies, and countries. Naveen graduated with an MBA in finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a recipient of the Joseph Wharton Fellowship. He received an M.S. in environmental engineering at Pennsylvania State University, where he conducted U.S. Department of Energy-funded laboratory research to develop an innovative treatment process for high-level nuclear waste. He has published several papers in peer-reviewed journals and has spoken and moderated at conferences related to waste treatment, land and water management, water reuse, and corporate sustainability. Naveen is a certified ISO 14001 auditor.
As Vice President of Lux Executive Partners, Naveen Krishnamurthy leads high-impact relationships with companies navigating multidecade transitions. In his role, Naveen brings about important connections among CXOs at peer-group companies, engages Lux’s repository of research across multiple areas of emerging innovation, and advises clients on strategic growth imperatives in diverse industries. Naveen brings two decades of research, industry, and consulting experience in commercially viable innovation to address entrenched problems. Most recently, Naveen’s work has spanned ideation, market penetration, and transaction due diligence for clients on three continents.
Prior to joining Lux Research, Naveen served as business development manager at Harvest Power, a waste-to-energy developer funded by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, where he evaluated technologies, developed economic and strategic analyses, and assisted in executing several acquisitions. In his consulting roles before Lux, Naveen helped venture capital and buyout firms analyze industries, assess growth opportunities, and identify attractive targets in carbon markets, emission control, healthcare IT, packaging, testing & measurement, and food & beverage for Firelake Capital, Graham Partners, and Lux Capital. Previously, as an environmental engineer at AECOM, Naveen conducted design, planning, and construction management for water/wastewater treatment, solid & hazardous waste management, and air pollution control for utilities, federal agencies, and countries.
Naveen graduated with an MBA in finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a recipient of the Joseph Wharton Fellowship. He received an M.S. in environmental engineering at Pennsylvania State University, where he conducted U.S. Department of Energy-funded laboratory research to develop an innovative treatment process for high-level nuclear waste. He has published several papers in peer-reviewed journals and has spoken and moderated at conferences related to waste treatment, land and water management, water reuse, and corporate sustainability. Naveen is a certified ISO 14001 auditor.
Our Locations

Boston (HQ)

Boston (HQ)
Lux Research Inc.
100 Franklin Street,
Boston, MA 02110
+ 1 617 502 5300

new york

NEW YORK
Lux Research Inc.
575 Fifth Avenue, 18th Floor,
New York, NY 10017

amsterdam

amsterdam
De Boelelaan 32, 1083 HJ,
Amsterdam,
The Netherlands
+31 20 280 7900

Singapore

Singapore
Lux Research Asia-Pacific PTE,
LTD
391B Orchard Road,
Level 22-01, Ngee Ann City
Tower B, Singapore 238874
+65 98628684

tokyo

tokyo
Level 20, Marunouchi Trust Tower – Main
1-8-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005, Japan
+03 5288 7855