Chinar Mehta

About

Research Experience

Feb 2025 – Feb 2026 · 1y
Research Consultant
Digital Futures for Children: London School of Economics & Political Science / 5Rights Foundation

Studies children and teenagers' use of and experiences with Generative AI across four countries, examining impacts on rights, creativity, development.

Jan 2023 – Sept 2023 · 9m
Fulbright Fellow
Human-Computer Interaction Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA

Mentored by Dr. Sarah Fox; part of the Future of Transit Work project examining how AI and automation reshape frontline public transit work.

Jan 2020 – Dec 2022 · 2y
Research Lead, Sanitation Sector
FemLab.co: IDRC-funded initiative

Grassroots research on how women workers in India can leverage digital platforms for collectivization.

Aug 2019 – Dec 2024 · 5y
PhD Candidate
Department of Communication, University of Hyderabad

Feminist STS study of web development cultures - drawing on historical discourse, in-depth interviews with engineers, designers, and managers, and archival & software documentation. Advisor: Prof Usha Raman.

Nov 2018 – Feb 2019 · 4m
Student Assistant
School of Media and Cultural Studies, TISS, Mumbai - Commissioned by Facebook India

Organized three Roundtables on women's online safety and hate speech online, including preparing background notes, conference communications, and draft reports for all three Roundtables.

Other Teaching Experience

2020, 2021, 2022, 2024
Teaching Assistant, Digital Cultures
University of Hyderabad, Course teacher: Prof Usha Raman
Jul – Dec 2014 · 6m
Teaching Assistant, Approaches to Indian Society
DA-IICT, Gandhinagar, Course teacher: Prof Visvajit Pandya

Work Experience

Jan 2015 – Nov 2016 · 1y 11m
Product Engineer
Sprinklr Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Gurgaon

Starting as an intern, worked as a core part of the R&D team rolling out new features, improvements, and bug fixes. Technologies: ReactJS, NodeJS, SASS, LESS, HTML.

Workshops Conducted

  • The Shadow of Software: Developing an STS Toolkit to Study Code. Winter School, STS India 2025, IIT Delhi, Sonepat, December 13, 2025.

  • Collaborative Explorations in Feminist STS: Provocations and Possibilities (with Anushree Gupta and L. Krishnakumar). Winter School, STS India 2025, IIT Delhi, Sonepat, December 14, 2025.

Invited Workshops

  • Feminist Futures Now. 19–21 August 2024, Goa, India. Organized by Digital Futures Lab and American Jewish World Service.

  • Invited Participant, International Doctoral Institute, Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication, University of Pennsylvania. March 2024.

  • Interface as Knowledge-in-practice: A Feminist Analysis of Web Development in India. Doctoral Colloquium, Association of Internet Researchers Annual Meeting 2021. 4 October 2021.

Academic Service

  • Sub-theme coordinator, "Interrogating Digital Selves and Subjectivities," Indian Association of Women's Studies Conference, January 2027, Christ University, Bengaluru (upcoming).

  • Coordinator, Digital STS Reading Group and Feminist STS Reading Group, STS India Network (present).

  • Session Chair, "Women and Technology" panel, STS India Network Conference, December 2025.

  • Organizer, Association of Internet Researchers Flashpoint Symposium, Hyderabad, April 2024. Constructing the Digital: Working from the Global South.

  • Organizer, Association of Internet Researchers Satellite Event, Hyderabad, October 2021. Interfacing, Interacting, Internetting in Pandemic Times.

  • Organizer, 71st Annual International Communication Association Conference, Hyderabad Hub, May–June 2021. Engaging the Essential Work of Care: Communication, Connectedness, and Social Justice.

  • Organizer, Bodily Habitations, Seminar held by Department of Communication, University of Hyderabad, March 2020.