Scholar
Varun Nagaraj Rao
Google Scholar ID: rrsc44sAAAAJ
Center for Information Technology Policy, Princeton University
Citations & Impact
Citations
230
H-index
8
i10-index
8
Publications
20
Co-authors
40
list available
Contact
Publications
Resume (English only)
Academic Achievements
- Won a Google Policy Fellowship in 2025; COLING 2020 Outstanding Paper Award; MIT/DARPA Graph Challenge Honorable Mention 2017; Hamsa Kartik Alumni Award for ranking first in his undergraduate class.
Research Experience
- Current projects include FairFare (examining black-box rideshare algorithms) and OpenDeli (exploring decentralized food delivery platforms). Earlier in his Ph.D., Varun's work exposed discrimination in job ad image selection on platforms like Facebook. He has interned at Microsoft Research (FATE), AWS, and Apple, and was a Google Policy Fellow at the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT). He also worked full-time at Amazon.
Education
- Ph.D. student in Computer Science at Princeton University, advised by Prof. Andrés Monroy-Hernández.
Background
- A computer scientist and social computing researcher focused on the societal impacts of AI, particularly in labor and technology policy. His research covers explainable AI, multimodal machine learning, and the broader societal implications of AI.
Miscellany
- Passionate about CS Education Research focusing on introductory algorithms courses and developing concept inventories. Engages in tech policy outreach, influencing legislation such as Colorado's SB 24-75.
