Nandini Sikand

Nandini Sikand is an Assistant Professor in the interdisciplinary film and media studies program at Lafayette College, a liberal arts institution in Pennsylvania. She is a multi-disciplinary academic and artist whose work spans film studies, media studies, anthropology, and performance studies, with recognition at over 100 domestic and international film festivals and broadcasts on PBS.

Her research interests focus on the intersections of documentary filmmaking, experimental cinema, and performance studies, with particular emphasis on postcolonial perspectives, Indian dance traditions (especially Odissi), gender studies, and social justice issues. Sikand's scholarly and artistic practice consistently examines cultural representation, identity formation, migration, and power dynamics through both academic research and creative production.

Dr. Sikand has received numerous prestigious awards and fellowships for her work, including:

• Guggenheim Foundation grants (including one in 2018 for Inside/Outside)
• Jerome Foundation grants
• Center for Asian American Media grants
• Two-time recipient of New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) awards
• American Association of University Women (AAUW) postdoctoral fellowship (2013-14)

Her filmography demonstrates a sustained engagement with pressing social issues through innovative cinematic approaches. Her works span from early explorations of diaspora culture in The Bhangra Wrap (1995) to contemporary examinations of the criminal justice system in Inside/Outside (2019), which documents incarcerated women's reentry challenges in the Lehigh Valley. Her films consistently blend documentary realism with experimental techniques to address themes of identity, displacement, and social transformation.

Dr. Sikand maintains an active presence in multiple creative and academic communities. She serves as a faculty coach at the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) and sits on the Advisory Board of Mono No Aware, a cinema-arts non-profit organization. As a performer, she is the co-founder and co-director of Sakshi Productions, a neo-classical Odissi dance company, and serves as Associate Director/Choreographer of Harmattan Theater, which focuses on environmentally and socially engaged theater productions.