Dr. Roshni Rao is a national leader in doctoral and postdoctoral career development, currently serving as the Assistant Vice Provost of Doctoral and Postdoctoral Life Design at Johns Hopkins University. She was the founding Director of PHutures and now leads the Doctoral Life Design Studio, which has impacted over 7,000 doctoral students and postdocs through high-impact programming, strategic initiatives, and a growing national presence.

Her leadership has transformed Johns Hopkins into a recognized hub for doctoral life design, with signature initiatives like the “Horizons by Hopkins” career conference—featuring speakers such as Yara Shahidi, Trevor Noah and Dr. Ibram X. Kendi—the “#100 Alumni Voices Project,” and the “Black & Latine Excellence Conference.” She also spearheaded the integration of two offices into one cohesive unit, significantly expanding team capacity and operations.

Dr. Rao’s work has earned national recognition, including the Career Leadership Collective Career Excellence Award, Staff Excellence for Leadership and Service, and Johns Hopkins’ Diversity Recognition Award. Under her direction, programmatic funding has grown by 700%, and new initiatives like the Tri-University “Empower Your Pitch” contest have flourished.

A sought-after speaker and thought leader, Dr. Rao has delivered keynotes at institutions such as the University of Michigan, Penn State, and the National Cancer Institute. She has contributed to Inside Higher Ed and appeared on podcasts like Once a Scientist and When Science Speaks, offering insights on scaling career services and advancing equity for international scholars.

With a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences and a postdoctoral fellowship at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Rao blends scientific expertise with a passion for innovation, mentorship, and systems-level change in higher education.