Careers in Academia with Vassar's Assistant Professor, Arpitha Kodiveri
Books, publishing, and the long road toward academic positions
Securing a fully-funded PhD at a top university is extremely competitive, with only 1-5% of candidates succeeding. However, a PhD alone is not enough for an academic career. Many candidates must complete a post-doc and show strong publishing potential just to be considered by universities, which often have only a few open positions every few years. Once in the system, aspiring academics must excel in teaching, publishing, and research to secure a tenured position, a process that can take 5-10 years. Academia requires a long-term commitment to see the rewards of hard work.
We are delighted that Network Capital members have started getting into academic positions. Sakshi Ghai completed her PhD from the University of Cambridge, served as a post-doc at the Oxford Internet Institute and recently joined the London School of Economics as faculty.
Rhodes Scholar Brian Wong joined Hong Kong University as an Assistant Professor in Philosophy. Learn more about how he built his portfolio of careers before taking up his HKU job.
Arpitha Kodiveri joined Vassar after her ML at Berkeley and PhD from the European University Institute. She also published a fascinating book “Governing Forests” about the complex intersection of climate change, environmental conservation, and human rights. While nations of the Global North focus on emissions trading and alternative energy sources, communities in the Global South—especially forest-dwelling communities in India—face life-and-death decisions about natural resource use.
Kodiveri, who has worked closely with these communities, shares stories of how they endure the dual threats of aggressive mining and conservation pressures. Yet, amid these challenges, hope emerges through their innovative approaches to forest law, co-governance, and a deep commitment to care and repair. Tune in for a deep dive into how these traditional owners are driving change and reshaping the future of forest governance.
