Nidhi Singh Rathore (MFA 19 Media Design Practices) is a South Asian designer, researcher, and educator who explores the application of design methodologies to civic engagement and social innovation. She is an Assistant Professor of Design at the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design at George Washington University, where she centers equity and ethics in design practice. Also serving as one of the GW Public Interest Technology Scholars, Rathore is currently asking: How might we go beyond theoretical critiques and provide evidence-based insights into whether AI is fulfilling its promise of democratizing opportunity or reproducing colonial patterns of technological dependency?

With a value-centered approach, her work deconstructs nebulous concepts, brings people together, and breaks down intricate challenges to create better and more equitable interventions. Her unique blend of creative expertise, analytical rigor, and social consciousness positions her as a leading voice in the realm of civic design and social impact. Rathore also writes, publishes, and forwards the discussion on design's relationship with power hoarding to critique design practice through a lens of race, gender, and privilege. This understanding comes from her lived experience as a public servant, where she developed an understanding of the ways marginalization and inequity stand in the way of civic participation and the role design can play in activating democracy.

Rathore holds a Postgraduate certificate in Aesthetics, Criticism, & Theory, Jnanapravaha, Mumbai; a Masters of Fine Arts from Art Center College of Design; and a Graduate Diploma from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.