Vinay Harpalani

Vinay Harpalani is a Ph.D. candidate in Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his bachelor's degrees in biological sciences (1996) and psychology (1997) from the University of Delaware, and a Master of Science in Education (1999) and Master of Bioethics (2004) from the University of Pennsylvania. Vinay's academic interests lay in the area of critical race studies, focusing on racial stereotypes and academic achievement, and the political, legal, and scientific construction of racial ideology and race discourse in America. He is also involved in political activism around racial equity issues and was a key organizer for movements to defend affirmative action leading up to the University of Michigan Supreme Court cases in 2003. He can be reached at harpalan@dolphin.upenn.edu.