I am originally from Mumbai by way of the Washington DC area, and completed a dual Bachelor’s in General Biology and Linguistics at the University of Maryland College Park. I now live in Chicago, on the unceded land of the Council of Three Fires, Potawotami, Oijibe, and Odawa people, as well as the Inohka, Miami, Sac Fox, Ho-Chunk, and Kickapoo. Outside the academy, I have worked in the nonprofit and survey research sectors, as a Survey Specialist for NORC at the University of Chicago and as a Communications Coordinator for the Women Empowerment Team at CORO India. I have also consulted on research projects for Scholars for Social Justice.

I am a proud member and former steward and co-president of GSU-UE Local 1103.

I also am an organizer with the South Asian arts collective Chicago Mehfil.

Formerly, I was a fellow with Beyond Prisons and the Prison-Neighborhood Arts + Education Project assisting with the Justice, Policy, and Culture Think Tank at Stateville Correctional Center. I have taught classes at Stateville and Logan Correctional Centers through PNAP. From the relationships I built teaching in prisons, I have become part of the organizations Beyond Prisons and Build Communities Not Prisons.

Non-research interests

In my free time, I enjoy trying new recipes, biking around Chicago, learning Bharatnatyam, and hiking. While mountains and hills are in short supply in the Midwest, my favorite spot for hiking and nature is the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior.

Contact me

Feel free to contact me at nkrao@uchicago.edu