Ruchi Saini (she/her) received her Ph.D. in International Education Policy from the University of Maryland, 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 Maryland's Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program. At the University of Maryland, 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 Feminist Media Review, Journal of Gender-Based Violence, 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.
Currently, Ruchi works as a postdoctoral scholar in the Violence Against Women (VAW) Cluster at the University of Central Florida.
- External Awards
2025 Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research University Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
2024 NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship ($27,500)
Awarded annually to 35 Ph.D. students in the US conducting research in the field of education.
2023 Mariam K. Chamberlain Dissertation Award ($10,000), International Centre for Research on Women, D.C.
2022 Education in Conflict and Emergencies Best Student Paper Award, Comparative and International Education Society, USA
2015 UK Foreign Commonwealth Office’s fully funded Chevening Scholarship (35,000 pounds) to pursue a Master’s degree in the UK.
Internal Awards
2024 College of Education Greatest Need Fund ($1,500), College of Education, University of Maryland, College Park
2023 College of Education Greatest Need Fund ($1,500), College of Education, University of Maryland, College Park
2022 Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship ($15,000), Graduate School, University of Maryland, College Park.
2022 Support Program for Advancing Research and Collaboration (SPARC) Doctoral Candidate Award ($1000), College of Education, University of Maryland, College Park
2022 Faculty Student Research Award ($10,000) with Dr. Zeena Zakharia, Graduate School, UMD.
2021 William J. Graham & William C. Graham Endowed Scholarship in Education ($1500), College of Education, UMD
2020 Investment in Excellence Fund Scholarship ($1000), College of Education, UMD.
2019 University of Maryland’s Dean’s Fellowship ($25,000), Graduate School, UMD.
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 & Mok, J (2025). What do we know about gender-based violence in schools and higher education institutions in India? A scoping review. Journal of Educational Studies. 1-20. Online ahead of print https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2025.2551745
Saini, R (2025). Art-based research, decoloniality & gender-based violence: Voices of women students from India. Feminist Media Studies, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2025.2499534
Saini, R & Spear, A (2024). Teachers’ Understanding of Gender-Based Violence in Two Public Schools in Burkina Faso. Journal of Gender-Based Violence. https://doi.org/10.1332/23986808Y2024D000000019
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. https://doi.org/10.52214/cice.v25i2.10730
*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’s experiences with COVID-19 in India: Towards Decolonizing Feminist Research. Current Issues in Comparative Education, 24(1).https://doi.org/10.52214/cice.v24i1.8850
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). https://doi.org/10.32674/jcihe.v13i5S.4140
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). https://doi.org/10.32674/jcihe.v12i6S1.3078
Book Reviews, Reports, & Public Writing
Saini, R. (2025). Bangalore girls: witnessing the Rise of Nationalism in a progressive city by Supriya Baily. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1080/15595692.2025.2506454
Saini, R. (November 2024). How universities shape students’ experiences with gender-based violence in India: An intersectional feminist narrative inquiry. Proceedings of the 2024 WES-CIHE Summer Institute: Equitable higher education in times of Disruption.
Saini, R. (5 March, 2024) “Studying Gender-Based Violence Through Art: Voices of women students from India” Brookings
Saini, R. (3 December, 2022) “Gender Stereotypes Must be Questioned” The Pioneer
Saini, R. (8 March, 2021)“Having it all redefined” The Times of India
Saini, R. (1 August, 2020) “Corona Bug bites Careers” The Pioneer
Saini, R. (16 February, 2020)“ With heads held high” The Hindu
Saini, R. (8 March, 2019) “My Body, My Rules” The Pioneer