Hi! I am Malvya, a 5th year PhD candidate in Anthropology at the University of Oregon (UO). I am from Hyderabad, a metropolitan city and a major IT and biotechnology hub in Southern India, Telangana state, India.
Prior to embarking on my doctoral journey, I was an international development practitioner for five years, working with grassroots research/implementation firms, international donor organizations and governments across India and Africa. I hold a background in public policy, development studies and journalism.
My PhD dissertation focuses on how marginalized women navigate aspirations for a “good life” within the constraints of caste, class and informal labor in Hyderabad’s urban settlements. This research is supported by the Center for the study of women in Society, UO, where I am a Jane Grant Dissertation Fellow for 2025-26. This research has also been generously funded by the Division of Global Engagement, Global Studies Institute, Asian Studies Department and the Oregon Humanities Center at UO. I am passionate about global south collaborations, feminist and community based participatory research, program evaluation, and translating theory and research findings into real life applications.
Please write to me at malvyac@uoregon.edu to get in touch.