Sundeep Muppidi, an Indian American professor of digital media and journalism in the University of Hartford’s College of Arts and Sciences, has won the 2026’s Donald W. Davis University Interdisciplinary Studies Award.
The private university in West Hartford, Connecticut presents the award annually to a faculty member who has made outstanding contributions to UHart’s Interdisciplinary Studies Program.
Muppidi, an Osmania and Hyderabad university alumnus, will soon celebrate his 30th year as a UHart educator, a tenure marked by distinction for his scholarship on international communication, complexity theory, and communication for social change and empowerment, according to a university release.
“Sundeep’s sustained commitment to interdisciplinary education, innovative pedagogy, and program development exemplifies the spirit and criteria of this distinguished award,” says Jack Banks, co-director and associate professor at the School of Communication. “His approach encourages students to examine their own cultural assumptions while developing an appreciation for diverse ways of knowing and being.”
With a doctorate in mass communication from Bowling Green State University and a master’s degree in mass communication and television production from the University of Hyderabad in India, Muppidi combines his educational background with an insatiable desire to continue learning—which he fulfills by researching, writing, and bringing innovation into the classroom. He also has a BS from Osmania University in India.
At UHart, Muppidi is renowned for his versatility and success in teaching interdisciplinary topics in the University Interdisciplinary Studies program, which spans technology, media literacy, cultural studies, and the humanities to develop cultural empathy and intercultural competence, particularly in South Asian and East Asian cultures.
Muppidi’s work outside the classroom is no less impressive. He is the author of four books, has contributed to dozens more, presented at more than 100 conferences around the globe, appeared on podcasts and television programs across India, Sri Lanka, Iran, Singapore, and the United States, and has worked on special projects, such as the documentary “Seeing the Scientific Light,” which aired on PBS stations.
A recipient of the Oscar and Shoshana Trachtenberg Award for Distinguished Service (2021), D Muppidi is currently producing a new documentary titled “Canvas Hyderabad,” which profiles leading artists from Hyderabad, Telangana — including Laxma Goud, Thota Vaikuntham, Surya Prakash, Fawad Tamkanat, and other eminent artists — exploring the intersections of art, culture, and urban identity in contemporary India.
An Adobe Creative Educator, he is also pursuing MIT’s No Code AI and Machine Learning certification, focusing on data-driven creativity and applied analytics. He is a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar, ACE Fellow, Harvard MDP alumnus, and AEJMC Diversity Leadership Fellow.