May 12, 2021

Former CPD Fellow Madhumitha (Madhu) Krishnan wins 2021 Muir Leadership Award

The William K. (Sandy) Muir, Jr. Leadership Award, established in 2014, recognizes exemplary undergraduate students with a demonstrated commitment to public service. Applicants are nominated by the Political Science department. Recipients demonstrate a high level of academic distinction and are leaders on campus, in their communities or public affairs. Thanks to generous donations to the Muir Award endowment, winners each receive $2,500.

Madhumitha (Madhu) Krishnan, a native of the East Bay, studied Political Science and History at UC Berkeley with a focus on comparative politics and the history of law and government. Madhu wrote her History senior honors thesis on the Madras Torture Commissioner’s Report and the origins of colonial policing in South Asia.

Madhu has extensive research experience, working with professors in the Political Science Department, the Center for Politics and Development, the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies at the UC Hastings School of Law, and most recently with the Indian Police Foundation on policing reforms that better protect the rights of human trafficking survivors. Her writing on organ trafficking has been used in the book, Perspectives on Black Markets, v. 3.

Madhu is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, a Critical Language Scholarship Finalist (in Russian), a Washington Leadership Scholar, and a Cal Leadership Award recipient. In addition to her research experience, Madhu was a public service leader within both her Berkeley and Bay Area communities. She served as an Editor-in-Chief of the Berkeley Political Review, UC Berkeley’s preeminent political journal. Read more about Madhu.