ABOUT & ROLES

A former NASA scientist, Dr. Pandya now serves as a professor at CUNY's New York City College of Technology, where he is also the founding Director of the Innervate Lab — an urban design and education lab that places self-inquiry at the center of creativity. His work reimagines pedagogy and leadership itself: weaving contemplative philosophy into the way teachers teach, the way spaces feel, and the way learning unfolds. In parallel, as a Faculty Fellow at Columbia University's Gordon Institute for Advanced Studies, he works alongside scholars to integrate an equity paradigm into teacher education programs across continents and cultures. In connection, as Resident Scholar at Skidmore College's IdeaLab, he leads nature-grounded PD for faculty, scientists, and students, thus cultivating the awareness needed to address the deepening crises of our youth and planet.

Beyond academic spaces, Raaghav is co-founder of The ROOTS Movement, a non-profit dedicated to nurturing depth and purpose in K–12 and higher education settings. Through workshops, retreats, and original video and audio content, The ROOTS Movement reaches participants across the world.

Whether in a lecture hall at IIT Delhi, a makerspace in Brooklyn, or a retreat in the mountains, the mission remains singular: in the most urgent times and crises, to impact learning spaces from the inside out as inspired by ancient wisdom.