Welcome to my website! I am an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Rice University. I was previously a Postdoctoral Fellow at Kellogg Institute for International Studies at University of Notre Dame and received my PhD in political science from University of Pennsylvania in August 2023.

My research lies at the intersection of gender, urbanization and politics with a regional specialization on South Asia, specifically India. I utilize a mixed methods approach combining large scale observational and administrative data, with fieldwork intensive quantitative and qualitative data.

My research is generously supported by the NSF funded APSA Dissertation Research Improvement Grant, Judith Rodin Fellowship, Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI) and Fox Leadership Institute.  Prior to starting at Penn, I was a Research Associate at IDFC Institute, a think-tank in Mumbai. 

My email address is rk115@rice.edu. You can also follow me on Twitter @kumar_rithika.

RESEARCH