Shreyas Rao joined the PhD program at the Fox School of Business after a decade in diverse roles within the sports sector in India. He has collaborated with government bodies, sport-for-development initiatives, and private academies on themes like child safeguarding, policy research, curriculum design, and organization development. His doctoral research pertains to small and medium-scale sports organizations, and aims to enhance their impact on the people and communities they serve.

Shreyas has worked in both managerial and consultative capacities. As a Senior Research Officer at the Sports Authority of India, he evaluated key government schemes and moderated a three-part sensitization program for the Indian contingent heading to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. In a previous assignment, he led the global ISSF Athlete’s Handbook project, aimed at providing critical information to international shooting sport athletes on a range of topics. During his stint managing a sport and development project, he oversaw camps, events and programs delivered to 1,600 children across India. In addition, he has assisted several sports academies and nonprofits as a consultant with capacity building and program design.

Shreyas has also presented at various international conferences, including the 6th International Working Group Conference on Women and Sport in Helsinki, Finland, and the International Association for Media and Communication Research Conference in Hyderabad, India. He holds a post graduate diploma in Child Rights Law, specifically focusing on play experiences of school children. He regularly contributes essays to the International Platform on Sport and Development (sportanddev.org) and has assisted them with several global initiatives.