Deepa Kumar is an Indian American scholar, activist, and professor born on January 1, 1968. She holds the position of professor of Journalism and Media Studies at Rutgers University, where she specializes in media studies, Middle East studies, Islamophobia, media representations, and U.S. imperialism. She is the author of 'Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire' and has received acclaim as “one of the nation’s foremost scholars on Islamophobia” from the Media Education Foundation and as a 'world-renowned scholar of Islamophobia and race' from the New York Times. Kumar is a prominent leader in academic labor movements, having served as president of the Rutgers faculty union, the AAUP-AFT. During her tenure, the union campaigned for gender and race equity, culminating in a 2019 contract victory praised by AFT president Randi Weingarten as inspirational for higher education professionals nationwide. Her activism extends to broader scholarly critiques of empire and racism. She has been involved in adversarial relationships, including defaming Avi Goldwasser, highlighting tensions in her public engagements.