Rajika Bhandari

A global expert on international students and academic mobility, Rajika Bhandari is the author of six books and several publications that touch upon the themes of movement and migration, and why people travel and cross boundaries. Her first nonfiction book, "The Raj on the Move: The Story of the Dak Bungalow," wove together history, architecture and travel writing to take readers on a fascinating journey of India’s 19th and 20th century British-era travel bungalows and inns. Her other books and chapters are based on her extensive research on the millions of foreign students that leave their countries to study overseas, and have been published by Palgrave Macmillan, SAGE, and Routledge among others. Bhandari has lived first-hand the experiences she studies and writes about: she came to the U.S. as a foreign student from India in 1992 to pursue a Ph.D. in Psychology at North Carolina State University. She obtained her B.A. (Honors) in Psychology at the University of Delhi, India.

Bhandari’s writings on international students have also appeared in the Guardian, Times Higher Ed, the Huffington Post, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and University World News. She has been featured on NPR, PRI International and Voice of America, and been quoted in the BBC, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Ozy, Quartz, DNA, the Times of India, and Time magazine. A seasoned public speaker and moderator, Bhandari has spoken to large and intimate audiences about her work at over 100 panels in the U.S. and globally. A firm believer in mentoring and training the next generation of global migration experts, Bhandari has served as an Adjunct Associate Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, and guest lectures frequently at large public and private universities in the U.S.

Bhandari is currently the Senior Advisor for Research and Strategy at the Institute of International Education (IIE), where she also leads the Center for Academic Mobility Research and Impact. Bhandari serves on the board of academic advisors for the American Institute for International Study (AIFS) Study Abroad and was also a member of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO.