Rajesh Veeraraghavan, a doctoral student in the School of Information, has been awarded a Mentored Research Award for the 2010–2011 academic year.
The Mentored Research Award is funded by the UC Office of the President and administered by the Graduate Division; the award gives academically promising graduate students an opportunity to conduct doctoral research while developing and strengthening relationships with faculty advisers.
The purpose of this program is to assist doctoral students in acquiring sophisticated research skills by working, under faculty mentorship, on their own pre-dissertation research. Each mentor is expected to discuss academic issues, network on behalf of the fellow, write letters of recommendation, advise on the fellow’s dissertation plans, and help the fellow avoid academic obstacles. Rajesh will be mentored by adjunct professor Paul Duguid.
Rajesh’s current research focuses on political, institutional and informational factors that help ordinary people in developing regions determine their own fates. His dissertation includes extended case studies of the “social audit” provision in the Indian government’s Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Program, which promises 100 days of labor for any citizen. Specifically, he is studying aspects of power inequality that are not addressed by information-based development programs.
Previously, Rajesh worked as an associate researcher at Microsoft Research India's Technology for Emerging Markets Group in Bangalore. He has a master's degree in computer science and economics.
