Beyond the Papers
Harish was born and raised in Chennai, India. He completed his undergraduate degree at the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli — one of the top technical institutions in India — before moving to New York to pursue his Master's at Columbia University, and later his Ph.D. at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, NYU.
His academic interest in cryptography evolved alongside a deeper personal mission: to build spaces that are genuinely safe and secure — both computationally and humanly. He was inspired by his desire for a queer community at NIT Trichy, which led him to co-found virtual safe spaces including uNITTy and Qolk 2.0. His first Pride experience was with Chennai Pride in 2017. He has since volunteered as a Dispersal Lead for the NYC Pride March and served as Director of the Diversity, Accessibility & Inclusion Committee of Heritage of Pride (NYC Pride).
He aims to create safe (and secure) spaces through both his cryptographic work and his advocacy — spaces that transcend the traditional definitions of accessibility, inclusivity, and diversity.
He appreciates puns and the metric system, which makes him punny-wise but pound-foolish.
If you laughed at that, get your tickets to his Netflix comedy special.
Service & Advocacy
Non-Research Talks
Panelist — Asian LGBT+ Movements Global Summit
Panelist — Out and Abroad 3.0
Panelist — LGBTQ+POC Global South Summit
Panelist — Navigating Imposter Syndrome Workshop
Volunteer & Leadership