Nikita Ghodke (she/they) is a non-binary disabled post-back researcher from India. She is currently remotely working at New York University. Nikita is an aspiring Speech-Language Pathologist and a Developmental Cognitive Scientist. Her clinical research interests include poverty/inequality, and the possible impact it has on the brain and cognitive development (language, executive function, memory, etc.) in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers’ populations from lower-middle-income countries (LMICs). Her interests lie in making research inclusive, open, and informed policymaking.
She is an open science enthusiast and is the co-founder of two open science initiatives – Project USPAS (underrepresented students of Psychology & allied sciences) & #dev-ersity in academia (#DIA) catered to increasing more awareness and representation through open science techniques in developmental science. As a disabled researcher, Nikita has faced many discriminations and advocates for an active voice in creating safe spaces and dialogues for the underrepresented population in academia. Apart from academia, she is a photographer, writer, and secretly a singer, and she loves to watch TV series. She is an advocate for child and youth rights, currently serving as a youth advocate for UNICEF India.