Aashish Kumar

Aashish Kumar is an Associate Professor in the Department of Radio, Television, Film at the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, Hofstra University. He is also the Graduate Program Director for the MFA in Documentary Studies and Production. His work integrates scholarship, teaching, and filmmaking to promote civic engagement and community advocacy through media.

His research interests include documentary filmmaking, social advocacy, electronic media empowerment, globalization, migration, and transnational media. He believes in the transformative power of media to shape communities and educate the public. His teaching emphasizes student agency in media production, particularly through the Media Action Project, where students collaborate with nonprofits to create impactful media.

His recent and upcoming documentaries reflect a deep engagement with global social issues. Projects like Making Kosovo and Software from the Hard Rocks explore themes of identity, displacement, and civic aspiration in post-conflict and globalized contexts. His work consistently bridges academic inquiry with public impact.

Scientific Awards:

• Best of Festival Award, Festival of Media Arts, Broadcast Education Association (2009)
• Award of Excellence, Festival of Media Arts, Broadcast Education Association (2009)
• Honorable Mention, Columbus International Film and Video Festival
• Fulbright Scholar

Advising and Grants: Professor Kumar mentors students in documentary and advocacy media. He secured a $25,000 grant from the Long Island Community Foundation to support a collaborative media training project, enabling Hofstra students and faculty to assist nonprofits in building electronic and social media capacity. He also led the Fulbright-funded teaching and research initiative in India.

Labs and Teams: He leads the Media Action Project and collaborates with faculty such as Mario Murillo and Jeff Morosoff. His projects involve interdisciplinary teams of students and community partners, using participatory media methodologies to empower organizations with limited resources.