Sonalini Sapra

Sonalini Sapra, PhD, is a political scientist with extensive experience in academia and community engagement. She has held teaching and leadership positions at Kenyon College, Saint Mary’s College, Saint Martin’s University, and Guilford College, where she served as Associate Director for the Center for Principled Problem Solving and Excellence in Teaching (CPPSET). She currently serves as Assistant Provost for Academic Affairs and Faculty Development, focusing on faculty support, anti-racist pedagogy, and inclusive course design.

Education:

• PhD in Political Science, Vanderbilt University
• MA in International Relations, University of Warwick
• BA in History, Lady Shri Ram College

Dr. Sapra's research centers on environmental and climate justice, forced migration, refugee resettlement, Dalit studies, gender, and international development. Her work emphasizes community-engaged teaching, experiential learning, and inclusive pedagogical practices. She is deeply committed to advancing equity in higher education and supporting marginalized communities through scholarship and practice.

Her scholarly output includes peer-reviewed articles, edited books, and community-based publications. The most notable recent work is the co-authored open-access AHLAN Manual, which provides practical guidance for U.S. campuses to strengthen their capacity for refugee welcome and inclusion. This work reflects a strong interdisciplinary focus on migration, social justice, and institutional change.

Dr. Sapra is actively involved in advocacy and research beyond the academy. She serves as a Research Fellow for Every Campus a Refuge, an organization that mobilizes colleges and universities to host refugees on campus and support their resettlement. Her earlier work included research and advocacy on labor rights and trade liberalization impacts on informal workers in India, demonstrating a long-standing commitment to social justice.

She has contributed significantly to faculty development, particularly in anti-racist pedagogy and inclusive teaching practices. Her initiatives have supported faculty and staff in designing equitable, project-based, and community-engaged curricula. While no formal grants are listed, her leadership roles and community partnerships suggest active engagement in program development and educational innovation.

Dr. Sapra is affiliated with the Every Campus a Refuge network, where she contributes research expertise to expand campus-based refugee resettlement efforts. This initiative functions as a de facto research and action lab focused on higher education's role in humanitarian response and social inclusion.