Ravi Rajakumar

Recent Professional Experience

Teaching a graduate level class in web communications to students in SIPA’s International Media & Communications concentration and other students from across the University.
Designing curriculum, assignments and in-class projects.

Lead web developer, tech lead for internationally respected social science institution with the mission to conduct, foster and augment the use of social science research in the public sphere.
Pioneering the application of innovative technologies to communications objectives, reaching new audiences and generating high profile media coverage for SSRC experts.
Project-managing the redevelopment of the SSRC website; working with internal IT staff and external vendors on CMS implementation, programming, database design; managing a six-figure budget.
Leading graphic design/art direction of print and web branding, creating an updated graphic identity for the organization and managing freelance graphic designers.
Conducting audience modeling, analytics research, and applying findings from audience research to development of the web site.
Lead designer of user interfaces, information architecture.
Conducting online marketing, SEO; crafting policies on accessibility, privacy, terms of use.

Managed the university’s main website, serving over 28,000 students and faculty and close to 100,000 visitors a day.
Designed a CMS-driven website to deliver news content to journalists and the general public.
Project-managed the re-design of a major public outreach website, for NYC government and community groups, architects, urban planners, and stakeholders throughout the university.

Led web team that executed all aspects of the development and maintenance of the Webby award-winning Earth Institute website, from strategic planning to managing day-to-day operations; led two major revisions to the site’s visual and functional design.
Collaborated with top scientists and researchers to create audio/visual materials, animations and web projects, designed to communicate complex scientific concepts to lay audiences.
Maintained best practices, researching new media innovations and industry trends.
Designed a scientific research, experts and publications directory that currently ties together over 800 scientists and over 400 projects; executed the user interface design and implementation in php/html; collaborated with in-house IT staff on database design.

Consulted on the overall structure and presentation of the website for one of the world’s most prestigious award-granting institutions for advances in medical research.
Redesigned infrastructure; consulted on user interface, information architecture, web technologies.
Made recommendations for simplifying the design and technologies for an improved user experience and for scalability and management by non-technical staff.

Worked to communicate complex and abstract scientific research materials to a diverse, international audience using animation, illustration and web design.
Worked closely and often with Nobel prize-winning scientists, eminent researchers and writers to design and create websites, animations and original scientific illustrations for use on the web and in print.
Developed the interactive presentation used by Prof. Paul Greengard, winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Biology, to deliver his Nobel lecture.

Led the process of designing, streamlining and managing a print production workflow from the ground up, working with graphic designers, editors, fact-checkers, translators, vendors, international printers, and management.
Innovated the production process by automating dozens of production routines with applescript, enabling a very small company to publish up to nine full-color books a week, in four languages.

As a Teaching TA (full instructor status) and later as an adjunct professor at the Mason Gross School of the Arts, became the first instructor to teach web design in the undergraduate graphic design curriculum.

Developed innovative approaches to combining computer art with printmaking, and then worked to mentor other art students on the potential techniques and applications.

After completing one year of coursework in genetics and biology, transitioned to art and focused on human-technology relationships.

Proficient: X/HTML; XML; XSL; CSS; JavaScript and the jQuery library; RSS; Flash; Dreamweaver; Contribute; Photoshop; Illustrator; QuarkXPress; QuickTime; Google Analytics; Google AdWords; WordPress; Pro Tools LE and other audio tools; digital video; color corrections; offset printing and print production.
Familiarity with: Programming in C and Java; Podcasting; and PHP.

Web4Dev (Washington, DC) | Member of a Professional Organization for Professionals in International Development