Karma Ngodup

Karma Ngodup is an Associate Professor in the Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations (SALC) at the University of Chicago. He joined the university in October 2010 and specializes in Tibetan language, literature, history, and Tibetan Buddhism. Karma teaches graduate and undergraduate students, including third-year, fourth-year, and advanced Tibetan courses, as well as classes on Tibetan culture, art, and history.

Education

• M.A. from Panjab University (1985)
• M.A. from Panjab University (1990)
• M.A. from the University of Northern Iowa (1996)

Research Interests include the diversity of Tibetan dialects, particularly Central Tibetan (Standard Tibetan), classical literary language, Tibetan Buddhist textual studies, and the application of technology in Tibetan language preservation and teaching. He has extensive experience in Tibetan manuscript analysis using historical scripts dating back to the 7th century.

Publications and Presentations highlight his work on Tibetan syntax, Unicode systems, and pedagogical approaches. His 2010 paper on Tibetan relative clauses and 2008 presentation on Microsoft Vista's Tibetan Unicode implementation reflect his focus on linguistic precision and digital preservation.

Professional Contributions span teaching Tibetan at UC Berkeley from scratch (2004-2010), directing the Tibetan Education Development and Resource Center in Dharamsala, and collaborating with the Electronic and Cultural Atlas Initiatives (ECAI) at Berkeley on the Yellow Beryl gazetteer project. He remains actively engaged in guiding BA theses and mentoring Masters students on Tibetan studies.