Rahul Mukherjee

Rahul Mukherjee is the Dick Wolf Professor of Television and New Media Studies and an Associate Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Arts & Sciences. He is affiliated with multiple academic groups, including the graduate group in Comparative Literature, History of Art, and South Asia Studies. His work bridges media theory, environmental humanities, and digital studies, with a focus on India and global media ecosystems.

• Doctorate in Film and Media Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara (emphasis: Technology and Society, Global Studies)

Rahul’s research explores the intersections of media, technology, and politics. Key areas include environmental media, mobile media, platform capitalism, and postcolonial media studies. His recent work examines how aspirational politics shape media distribution and how corporate-state alliances leverage platforms to set citizen-consumer targets.

His publications span peer-reviewed journals like Critical Inquiry, Media, Culture & Society, and Science, Technology and Human Values. These works analyze topics such as radiation controversies, mobile money, and platform governance in South and Southeast Asia.

• 2014 Nicholas C. Mullins Award, Society for Social Studies of Science

Rahul has advised doctoral dissertations, including Sasha Dilan Krugman’s 2025 work on Visual Inheritance: Gender, Nationhood and Soldier-Heroes. He has been involved in editorial roles for Media+Environment, Platforms & Society, and co-edits the Power Currents: Asian Media in the World book series. His teaching covers televisual media, environmental media, and digital infrastructures, with courses at Penn, Cornell, and UCSB.