Anindya Kundu is sociologist of education whose research is broadly accessible in order to promote equitable systems of opportunity. Anindya researches how exceptional people overcome the odds stacked against them as they develop agency for positive change. Anindya is most known for his two global TED Talks, which have amassed more than 6 Million views. His 2020 TED Talk on the US Opportunity Gap was listed in the “Top 5 Most Popular TED Talks of 2020.”
Anindya is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Florida International University (FIU). Given the hotly-contested contexts currently surrounding public education and upcoming 2024 election, Anindya realizes his potential to inform public sentiment and frequently engages public readers. Outside of writing peer reviewed research articles, between 2022 and 2023, Anindya published four Opinion Editorials for The Miami Herald and appeared as a featured guest on Miami’s NPR station, WLRN multiple times to discuss the state of affairs in Florida. His work has also been featured by USA Today, MSNBC, NPR, The Miami Herald, Huffington Post, and other broad channels.
Anindya’s body of sociological research is highly approachable to those outside the field. His first book, The Power of Student Agency: Looking Beyond Grit to Close the Opportunity Gap, was published by Teachers College Press (2020). That book was a finalist for the 2021 Association of American Publishers (AAP) Professional and Scholarly Excellence (PROSE) Award. Anindya is working on his second book, The Power of Educational Leadership (Oxford University Press, 2025). Anindya’s passion is writing and promoting the idea that everyone, but especially children, are worthy and deserving of opportunities for self-improvement.