Education
Ph.D., Doctor of Philosophy, Multicultural Women’s and Gender Studies, Texas Woman’s University (TWU), Denton, TX 2013- January 2024.
Dissertation Title: A Battleground of Scars: Media Reports on Acid Violence Against Women in India
Committee Chair: Dr. Agatha Beins
Committee Members: Dr. Claire Sahlin and Dr. Linda Marshall
Research Assistant to Dr. Claire Sahlin
Teaching Assistant to Dr. Danielle Phillips- Cunningham, Dr. Linda Marshall, and Dr. Claire Sahlin
Graduate Teaching Assistant: Gender and Social Change: Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies
Master of Fine Arts, Visual Art and New Media, San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI), San Francisco, CA 2010-2012.
Thesis: Crimson Perennial Annal: Global Menstrual Taboos
Advising Committee: Prof. Dewey Crumpler, Prof. Allan deSouza, Prof. Meredith Tromble, and Prof. Jeremy Morgan
Teaching Assistant to Dr. Laura Fantone, Prof. Dewey Crumpler, and Dr. Susan Greene
Honors Student
Runner-up Class Valedictorian Speaker
Post-baccalaureate Certificate, Visual Art, San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI), San Francisco, CA 2009-2010.
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Jack Fulton
Major in Painting
Honors Student
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Painting, The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Savannah, GA 1999-2003.
Majors in Painting & Art Theory
Minors in Sculpture and Drawing
Honors Student
Academic Appointments
Faculty of Social Sciences, School of Management, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, India. 2025.
Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies, Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, New Hampshire. 2024- Present.
Graduate Teaching Instructor, Department of Multicultural Women’s and Gender Studies, Texas Woman’s University, Denton, Texas, 2013- 2020.
Graduate Teaching Instructor, Departments of Painting and Critical Studies, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, California, 2009-2012.
Kindergarten and Elementary School Teacher, Painting and Mixed Media, Pathways World School, Gurgaon, India, 2004- 2005.
Research Gaps Between Teaching Appointments
2020- 2023
Art and Research Consultant
Volunteer work with GenDev Center for Research and Innovation
(Gender and Development Research Center in greater New Delhi)
Gurgaon, India, 2020- 2023
Ph.D. Dissertation Research and Writing
Research work on acid violence in India, Gurgaon, India, 2020- 2024
2005- 2009
Independent Research and Consultancy Work in Bangladesh and India
Independent study on acid violence in Bangladesh
Acid Survivor’s Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Action Aid, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Social Initiatives NGO, Dhaka, Bangladesh
U.N. Women- New Delhi, India
India Habitat Center, New Delhi, India
Non-Academic Employment
Community Engagement Manager, COMMON Workplace, Tucson, Arizona, 2019- 2020. (Business closure due to Covid-19)
Community Client Relations Manager, Valdez Financial Group LLC, Tucson, Arizona, 2020- 2021. (Business closure due to Covid-19).
Researcher and Art Consultant, GenDev Center for Research and Innovation, Gurgaon, India, 2019- Present.
Hanna Artist and Manager, Little Miss Henna, Santa Clarita, California, 2016- 2018.
Target Employee, Santa Clarita, California, 2016-2018.
Call Center Employee, Harbor Freight Tools, Gurgaon, India, 2014- 2015.
Awards and Certifications
SNHU Faculty Information Security Training Award, 2025
SNHU Fostering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Certification, 2025
SNHU Cultivating Conversations Certification, 2024- 2025
SNHU Online Faculty Training and Assessment Certification, 2024
SNHU Online Teaching Certification, 2024
TWU Faculty Advisor and Mentor Distinction for Circle K International, 2016- 2018
Southeastern Women’s Studies Association (SEWSA) Student Award, 2015
TWU Graduate Student Scholarship Award, 2013- 2015
SFAI Graduate Valedictorian Speaker Nominee Award, 2012
SFAI MFA Fellowship Award, 2010- 2012
Kearny Street Workshop (KSW) Asian American Artist of the Year Award, 2010
Publications
A Battleground of Scars: Acid Violence Against Women in India. Forthcoming book in 2026.
Co-Author, Govindnathan, Pallavi. “Knowledge and Global Inequalities.” Authors: Dev Nathan and Govind Kelkar, Journal of Gender, Technology, and Development, Taylor and Francis, Bangkok, Thailand. Published October 2022.
Govindnathan, Pallavi. “The Construction of Patriarchal Attitudes Through the Use of Violence: The Influence of Ancient Indian History in Establishing Contemporary Messaging on Acid Violence.” Monograph. Centurion University of Technology and Management. Odisha, India. Published May 2022.
Kelkar, Govind and Govindnathan, Pallavi. “Social Norms and Attitudes Towards Women’s Entitlement to Land.” Impeding Structures of Gender Equality, Oxford University Press, 2022.
Govindnathan, Pallavi. Women and Their Work, Women and Their Work Gallery Catalogue, 24 July 2021.
Kelkar, Govind and Govindnathan, Pallavi. “Social Norms and Attitudes Towards Women’s Entitlement to Land.” Council for Social Development (CSD), New Delhi, India. 2020.
Govindnathan, Pallavi. Re/Devaluing Colorism: The Intersections of Skin Color and Currency by The Southwest School of Art. 10 January 2020. Southwest School of Art Catalogue.
Villavaso, Morgan. “Graduate Student Combines Art with Activism.” The Lasso. Texas Woman’s University, 20 October 2016. TWU Newspaper. Online.
Govindnathan, Pallavi. “Menstrual Diaries: The Language of Patriarchy.” San Francisco Art Institute: MFA/MA Art and Ideas. Ed. Zeina Barakeh, Vera Kachouh and Anne Shulock. San Francisco: San Francisco Art Institute, 2012. 47. Print.
Govindnathan, Pallavi. “Historical Inequality.” Man As Object: Reversing the Gaze. Ed. Tanya Augsburg and Karen Gutfreund. San Francisco: Women’s Caucus for Art, 2011. 94. Print.
Govindnathan, Pallavi. “Acid Violence Against Women in Bangladesh.” Public Culture: Society for Transnational Cultural Studies 22.1 (2010): 7- 15. Print.
Paidipaty, Poornima. “Reconstructing Corrosion: A Conversation with Pallavi Govindnathan.” Public Culture: Society for Transnational Cultural Studies 22.1
(2010): 17- 23. Print.
Govindnathan, Pallavi. Corrode: An Artist’s Response to Acid Violence in South Asia. New Delhi: Roli Books, 2010. Print.
Teaching Experience: Courses
Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice Through the Feminist Anthropocene 2025
School of Management
Centurion University of Technology and Management, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, India.
Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice 2025
School of Management
Centurion University of Technology and Management, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, India.
Diversity 2024- 2025
Department of Interdisciplinary Studies in the Commons
Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, New Hampshire.
Cultural Awareness 2024- 2025
(Focus on Inculturation, Social and Cultural Awareness & Cultural Fluency, and Interpersonal and Intercultural Communication)
Department of Interdisciplinary Studies in the Commons
Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, New Hampshire.
Gender and Social Change (Online and Face-to-Face) 2013- 2020 Graduate Teaching Assistant
An Introduction to Multicultural Women’s and Gender Studies.
Department of Multicultural Women’s and Gender Studies.
Texas Woman’s University, Denton, Texas.
U.S. Women of Colors 2016 Graduate Teaching Assistant for Dr. Phillips Cunningham.
Multicultural, Women’s and Gender Studies.
Texas Woman’s University, Denton, Texas.
Gender and Christianity 2015
Graduate Research Assistant for Dr. Claire Sahlin.
Multicultural, Women’s and Gender Studies.
Texas Woman’s University, Denton, Texas.
Family Violence 2015
Graduate Teaching Assistant for Dr. Linda Marshall.
Sociology and Multicultural, Women’s and Gender Studies.
Texas Woman’s University, Denton, Texas.
Alternative Contexts: Graduate Critique Seminar 2012 Graduate Teaching Assistant for Prof. Alan de Souza
Department of Art and New Genres
San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, California.
Veiling, Revealing and Creative Practice 2012 Graduate Teaching Assistant for Dr. Laura Fantone
Department of Art History and Critical Studies.
San Francisco Art Institute. San Francisco, California.
Painting Culture: Studio Art and Art Theory 2011 Graduate Teaching Assistant for Prof. Dewey Crumpler
Department of Painting.
San Francisco Art Institute. San Francisco, California.
Trauma, Resilience, and Creative Practice 2011
Graduate Teaching Assistant for Dr. Susan R. Green
Department of Art History and Critical Studies.
San Francisco Art Institute. San Francisco, California.
History of Jazz and Blues 2010
Graduate Teaching Assistant for Prof. Dewey Crumpler
Department of Art History and Critical Studies.
San Francisco Art Institute. San Francisco, California.
(Teaching experience includes intensive summer programs and both in-person and online classes. Familiar with online teaching platforms: Blackboard, Canvas, Brightspace)
Lecture Invitations
Guest Speaker. “Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice.” Expert Talk. Centurion University of Technology and Management. Organized by the School of Management, Paralakhemundi Campus, Odisha, India. 19 September, 2025.
Guest Speaker. “Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice Through the Feminist Anthropocene.” Expert Talk. Centurion University of Technology and Management. Organized by the Center for Governance and Sustainable Socieites and the School of Management, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, India. 15 September, 2025.
Guest Speaker. “A Battleground of Scars: Analyzing Acid Violence Against Women in India Through New Media.” Doctoral Colloquium. Coordinator: Dr. Smita Mishra Panda. Centurion University. 21 January 2022.
Conference Panel Attendant. “Efforts to End Witch Hunts in Ghana and Indian.” Zoom Discussion. GenDev Center for Research and Innovation, New Delhi, October 2021.
Conference Attendance. The Sustainable Energy for All Forum. New York. April 2017.
“Theorizing the What If: Speculative Fiction in Art and WGS. National Women’s Studies Association, November 2016.
Creative Pedagogy: Utilizing Arts Based Research in Critical Thinking Pedagogy. National Women’s Studies Association. November 2016.
Guest Speaker. Reinventing Intersectional Art and Activism with Gender Studies: Generation New Approaches to Social Awareness and Mindfulness. Dr. Lauren Cross, University of North Texas, Denton, TX. 2015.
New Knowledge in Transdisciplinary Dissertation Research in WGS: Moving from Institutionalization to Lived Practices. National Women’s Studies Association. November 2015.
Challenging the Representation of the Devine-Whore in Bollywood Cinema Through the Emergence of Indian Indie-Cinema. Spring 2015. Center for Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. SEWSA conference. March 2015.
Art, Activism, and Social Change: Tree Speech Art. Spring 2015. Guest Lecturer for Gender and Social Change classroom- Instructor Carla Wilson. Texas Woman’s University. Denton, Texas, April 2015.
Transgressing Gender Based Violence Through Art and Activism. Fall 2014. Panel Presenter at NWSA 2014. San Juan, Puerto Rico. November 2014.
Art, Activism, and Social Change: Activist Billboard Project. Fall 2014. Guest Lecturer for Gender and Social Change classroom- Instructor Sara-Ishii Downing. Texas Woman’s University. Denton, Texas, October 2014.
Art, Activism, and Social Change: Clothesline Project. Fall 2014. Guest Lecturer for Gender and Social Change classroom- Instructor Sam Schmitt. Texas Woman’s University. Denton, Texas, October 2014.
Women and Labor. Summer 2014. Guest Lecturer for Gender and Social Change classroom- Instructor Sam Schmitt. Texas Woman’s University. Denton, Texas, July 2014.
Art and Activism: Rock Art as Public Awareness. Summer 2014. Guest Lecturer for Gender and Social Change classroom- Instructor Sam Schmitt. Texas Woman’s University. Denton, Texas, July 2014.
Material Bodies Challenging Morality in Art. 2014 Student Creative Arts and Research Symposium, Denton, Texas, April 8, 2014.
Creativity as Transgression of Gendered Boundaries in Women’s Studies. 2014 Student Creative Arts and Research Symposium, Denton, TX, April 9, 2014.
Musical History of Devious Heroines in Bollywood Cinema- Guest Presentation. History of Jazz and Critical Studies. San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA, November 2012.
Reversing the Gaze: Man, As Object by Women’s Caucus for Art- Guest Presentation. Veiling, Revealing, and Creative Practice. SOMArts Cultural Center, San Francisco, CA, November 2011.
Transcultural Circumstances Group Lecture. Diego Rivera Gallery. San Francisco, CA, August 2011.
Hinduism Striptease: Religion and Cultural Misrepresentations. Kearny Street Workshop: Asian Artists Collective. San Francisco, CA, May 2010.
Teaching Thematic Expertise
Acid Violence in the Global Context
Sociology of Development
Violence Against Women
Women’s Health, Mental Health and Acid Violence
Imperial and Colonial Influences in Gender Violence in India
The Feminine Goddess in Indo-Tantric and Kamasutra Art
Female Transgressions in Honor Societies
Transnational Feminism
South Asian Feminism
Feminist Epistemologies
Gender and Social Change
Violence and Media
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Inter/Intra-Cultural Social Awareness
South Asian Cinema
Global Cultural Studies
Anti-Racist Studies
Honor Crimes and Murders in South Asia
Caste and Casteism
Masculinity Studies
Critical Race Theory
Violence Against Women and Mental Health
U.S. Women of Color and Colorism
Anti-Violence Advocacy and Indian Media
Hindu Mythology and Folklore
Hindu Brahmanical Patriarchy in South Asia
Moder-Day Brahmanical Patriarchy in South Asia
Pre-Colonial, Colonial and Post-Colonial Theories
Feminist Epistemologies
Sex Work in Global Cinema
Women in Renaissance and Baroque Art
Female Transgressions in Western Feminist Art
South Asian Cinema
Italian New Wave Cinema
Black Feminist and Womanist Thought
Devious Bodies and Feminist Representation in Bollywood
French New Wave Cinema
Chernukha and Soviet- Russian Cinema- Focus on Sex Work and Poverty
Gender and Italian Film Noir
American Film Noir
Islamic Feminist Revolution and Art
Politics of Veiling and Revealing in Islamic Diasporas
Awards, Distinctions and Fellowships
SNHU Faculty Information Security Training Award 2025
SNHU Fostering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Certification 2025
SNHU Cultivating Conversations Certification 2024-2025
SNHU Online Faculty Training and Assessment Certification 2024
SNHU Online Teaching Certification 2024
ABD Distinction. Multicultural Women’s and Gender Studies, Texas Woman’s University, Denton, TX., June 2021.
Faculty Advisor and Mentor. Circle K International: Texas Woman’s University. Affiliated with Kiwanis International (Student Development and Community Volunteering Program). Denton, TX. Spring 2016- Spring 2018.
Southeastern Women’s Studies Association (SEWSA) 2015 Student Travel Grant Award. Center for Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Florida Atlantic University. Boca Raton, FL. March 2015.
TWU Graduate Student Scholarship. Texas Woman’s University Denton, TX. 2013-2016.
Graduate Valedictorian Speaker Nominee Award. San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA, USA. 2012
MFA Fellowship Award. San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA. USA. 2010- 2012.
Kearny Street Workshop (KSW) Asian-American Artist on the Year Award, San Francisco, CA, USA. Summer 2010.
Sanskriti Kala Kendra Residency. New Delhi, India. 2004.
Dean’s List Award. The Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA, USA. Summer 2002.
Dean’s List Award. The Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA, USA. Fall 2002.
Student Artist Development. Shilpigram Indigenous Artists’ Center Residency. Bastar, Maharashtra, India. 1995- 1999.
Emerging Artists of Thailand Award. National Cultural Commission of Thailand. Bangkok, Thailand. 1999.
Independent Research and Field Study
Parental Alienation Epidemic in the United Kingdom Among Working Class Families, early 2022.
Media Research on Acid Violence Against Women and Girls in India, 2020- Present.
Researcher and Artist for GenDev Center for Research and Innovation, 2020- Present.
Independent Researcher and Photographic Documentation. Women and Empowerment Through Land Ownership in Rural India. 2013.
Independent Researcher and Photographic Documentation. The Pink Sari Gangs of India. 2013.
Independent Researcher. Educational Awareness Project: Acid Violence in South Asia. 2005- 2009.
Professional Services
2019- Present: Artist and Cover Designer, GenDev Center for Research and Innovation (Gender and Development Research Institute), New Delhi, India.
2019- Present: Researcher and Writer, GenDev Center for Research and Innovation (Gender and Development Research Institute), New Delhi, India.
2016- 2017: Faculty Advisor and Mentor to Circle K International Group (CKI) at Texas Woman’s University.
2015-2016: Academic mentoring and advising for enrolling and former students.
2014- 2015: International Women’s Day Committee Head.
2013- 2014: Head of Creative Arts Events at Multicultural Women’s Studies Graduate Student Association (MWGSA)
2012 Runner-up Valedictorian Speaker at San Francisco Art Institute.
2005-2009: Designing catalogues, brochures, and book covers for UN Women, New Delhi, India.
2005- 2009: Creating and donating art for women’s conferences/ events for funding and discussion.
Art Residencies
Feminist Art Conference (FAC) Residency, Artscape Gibraltar Point, Toronto Islands, Canada. 2016.
Sanskriti Kala Kendra, Sanskriti Foundation, Anandagram, New Delhi, India. 2006.
Visiting Artist. Shilpigram Indigenous Artists’ Center Residency. Bastar, Maharashtra, India. 1995-1999.
Selected Group Art Exhibitions
We Know Who We Are. We Know What We Want. Curated by Vicki Meek, Women and Their Work Gallery, Austin, Texas, July- September 2021.
The Right to Herself. Curated by Lauren Cross, Center for Fine Art Photography and the Lincoln Center Gallery, Fort Collins, Colorado. October- December 2020.
Re/De Valuing Colorism: Intersections of Skin Color and Currency. Curated by Aissatou Sidme-Blanton. Southwest School of Art Russell Hill Rodgers Gallery, San Antonio, Texas. December 2019- April 2020.
Feminist Art Conference Group Exhibition (FAC). Curated by Ilene Sova. Artscape Gibraltar Point, Toronto, Canada. May 2016.
Art, Education and Girl Power. Women of Color Art Gallery (WOCA). Directed and crated by Lauren Cross. Fort Worth, Texas. March 2014.
10th Annual San Francisco Altered Barbie Exhibition. Work Series: The Barbie Revolution. Curated by Julie Anderson. San Francisco, California. 2012.
Flying Fish. Work Series: The Barbie Revolution. Curated by Mido Lee and Hosted by Asian American Women Artist Association (AAWAA). San Francisco, California. 2012.
Perennial Annal. MFA Graduate Thesis Exhibition. The Phoenix Hotel. San Francisco, California. 2012.
Haraam. Third Strike: 100 Performances in the Hole. Performance collaboration with artist Nicole McClure. Curated by Justin Charles Hoover. SOMArts Cultural Center. San Francisco, California. 2011.
Historical Inequality. Reversing the Gaze: Man, As Object. Curated by Priscilla Otani. Women’s Caucus for Art. SOMArts Cultural Center. San Francisco, California. 2011.
Inspecting the Self (Selected work from series Menstrual Taboo). Keeping an Eye on Surveillance. Performance Art Institute. Curated by Hanna Regev. Class collaboration: Prof. Allan deSouza. San Francisco, California. 2011.
Erasing My Culture. One Size Fits All. Kearny Street Workshop. San Francisco, California. 2011.
Transcultural Circumstances. Expression of Art Through an Interwoven Culture. Asian-American Artists Group Collaboration. Curated by Orlando Lacro. The Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco Art Institute. San Francisco, California. 2011.
(A complete CV with a full list of group exhibitions can be provided for further review).
Solo Art Exhibitions
Acerbic Drips. International Panel Lecture Series. Cornell Law School and AVON Global Center for Women and Justice. New Delhi- India and New York- United States. 2012.
Spidey Meets Barbie: Breaking Gender Stereotypes Through Toys. Collaboration with artist Laura H. Kim. Swell Gallery. San Francisco, California. 2011.
Hinduism Striptease. Kearny Street Workshop (Asian Pacific American multidisciplinary art organization). San Francisco, California. 2009- 2010.