Amol Pavangadkar

Amol Pavangadkar is an accomplished professor of practice and a senior specialist at the School of Journalism. He has won several awards for his academic and creative work. As a skilled filmmaker and content producer, he has produced and directed numerous media projects in collaboration with international partners and federal agencies. His portfolio includes various productions such as films, commercials, documentaries, promotional videos, training materials, and music videos, distributed across multiple platforms.

Some of his recent projects have addressed topics like race and the pandemic, parenting resources, violence reduction assessments, trauma response training, awareness about human trafficking, PTSD training for law enforcement agencies, police consolidation, and shared services, food systems innovations in Africa and India, improving nutrition habits in low-income families, and communication about climate change. He has an Emmy nomination and won Best in Show by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters for his PBS documentary highlighting PTSD in Veterans and their integration into the community upon their return from war.

Amol has been recognized for his teaching, academic initiatives, and media productions. He is the first fixed-term specialist selected as an MSU Academic Leadership Fellow in 2022 and received the Adams Teaching Fellowship in 2021. 

He mentors students beyond the classroom and has curated dozens of award-winning student productions, including student Emmys, Addys, and film festival selections. At MSU, he has taught over sixteen courses; ten of which were created and developed by him.

He was the inaugural chair of the School's DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) committee and led the efforts to draft the School's DEI strategic plan of action, DEI statement and climate survey.

He holds the unique distinction of being the only MSU faculty member to be awarded the prestigious faculty seminar fellowship from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (in 2012), and in 2016, he received the Faculty Impact Award at Michigan State University. He also won the inaugural iTeachMSU teaching award in 2019 and the coveted 2018 Balgandharva Puraskar for outstanding contributions to theatre, film, media arts, and community in India. 

He has presented and led training workshops at national and international events and conferences, including Disney Media and Entertainment, the Society of Environmental Journalists conferences, and World Trauma Conference. His work has been supported by various organizations such as the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Health, US Department of Justice, USAID, State of Michigan, Homeland Security Investigations, National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, Michigan Health Endowment, and numerous foundations.

Aside from teaching filmmaking and media management courses, Amol actively produces content for WKAR-TV. He designed and led the first film production-based study abroad program in India in the summer of 2014 and continues to offer this life-changing experience to students. Amol's roots are in Bollywood, India's prolific film and television industry, where he has credits in producing, directing, and audio. He has been instrumental in establishing and developing relationships with universities and organizations in India and has been active in establishing MSU's recruitment efforts and branding in India.

He is active in community-building efforts and was recently appointed Communication commissioner for the Meridian Township.

Research Centers and Labs

Knight Center for Environmental Journalism