Ruchi Saini (she/her) received her Ph.D. in International Education Policy from the University of 浪花直播, College Park in Fall 2024. Her research investigates the structural and cultural determinants of gender-based violence in formal education spaces, especially within the post-colonial contexts of India and Africa. Ruchi comes from the north Indian state of Haryana, and her scholarship is deeply rooted in her lived experience as an educator and administrator across India's K-12 schools.
In the US, she has worked as a research analyst with the Brookings Institution and as an academic counselor with the University of 浪花直播's Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program. At the University of 浪花直播, Ruchi was a recipient of the 2019-20 Dean's fellowship and the 2022-23 Ann Wylie Dissertation Fellowship. Her dissertation was also supported by external fellowships such as ICRW's Mariam Chamberlain Dissertation Award 2023 and the 2023-24 NAED/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship.
Ruchi's scholarship has been published in peer reviewed journals such as the Journal of Gender-Based Violence, Current Issues in Comparative Education, and the Journal of Comparative and International Education. Ruchi has an MA in English literature from St.Stephen's College- University of Delhi (India)- where she was a gold medalist, and a master's in Education from the University of Glasgow (Scotland), where she was a Chevening fellow.
Ruchi will be joining the Violence Against Women (VAW) Cluster at the University of Central Florida as a postdoctoral fellow in January 2025, where she will be working on research projects linked to intimate partner violence, sex-trafficking , and campus sexual violence.
- External Awards
2023-24 NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship ($27,500)
2023 Mariam K. Chamberlain Dissertation Award ($10,000), International Centre for Research on Women, D.C.
2022 , Comparative and International Education Society, USA
2015 UK Foreign Commonwealth Office鈥檚 fully funded (35,000 pounds) to pursue a Master鈥檚 degree in the UK.
Internal Awards
2024 College of Education Greatest Need Fund ($1,500), College of Education, University of 浪花直播, College Park
2023 College of Education Greatest Need Fund ($1,500), College of Education, University of 浪花直播, College Park
2022 Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship ($15,000), Graduate School, University of 浪花直播, College Park.
2022 Support Program for Advancing Research and Collaboration (SPARC) Doctoral Candidate Award ($1000), College of Education, University of 浪花直播, College Park
2022 Faculty Student Research Award ($10,000) with Dr. Zeena Zakharia, Graduate School, 浪花直播.
2021 William J. Graham & William C. Graham Endowed Scholarship in Education ($1500), College of Education, 浪花直播
2020 Investment in Excellence Fund Scholarship ($1000), College of Education, 浪花直播.
2019 University of 浪花直播鈥檚 Dean鈥檚 Fellowship ($25,000), Graduate School, 浪花直播.
2011 Dr. N.S Pradhan Memorial Medal for securing the highest marks in M.A. English across the University.
2009 Smt. Ganga Laxmi Dutt Memorial Prize for securing the highest marks in BA (H) English in Daulat Ram College.
2008 Smt. Ganga Laxmi Dutt Joshi Scholarship for securing the highest marks in BA (H) English II Year in Daulat Ram College.
2007 Dr. Balmukund Tandon Memorial Scholarship for securing the highest marks in BA (H) English -I Year in Daulat Ram College.
Peer-Reviewed
Saini, R & Spear, A (2024). Teachers鈥 Understanding of Gender-Based Violence in Two Public Schools in Burkina Faso. Journal of Gender-Based Violence.
Saini, R (2023). It is as if they are taking advantage of a bad situation: COVID-19, care work, and online teaching in India. Current Issues in Comparative Education.
*Awarded the best student paper by the Education in Emergencies Special Interest Group at the Comparative and International Education Society Conference held in 2022.
Saini, R. (2022). Using Positioning Theory to analyse a Female School Teacher鈥檚 experiences with COVID-19 in India: Towards Decolonizing Feminist Research. Current Issues in Comparative Education, 24(1).
Saini, R. (2022). Faculty Narratives of Addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) at a Public Higher Education Institution in India. Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education, 13 (5S).
Saini, R. (2021). A Comparative Analysis of Academic Freedom within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in India and the USA. Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education, 12(6S1).
Public Writing
Saini, R. (5 March, 2024) Brookings
Saini, R. (3 December, 2022) The Pioneer
Saini, R. (8 March, 2021)鈥溾 The Times of India
Saini, R. (1 August, 2020) The Pioneer
Saini, R. (16 February, 2020)鈥 鈥 The Hindu
Saini, R. (8 March, 2019) 鈥溾 The Pioneer