My name is Madhukar K C (Madhu). Let me share a little bit about myself: I am originally from Nepal, a small South Asian nation sandwiched between two boulders—China and India. I grew up speaking Nepali at home, and later began the journey of learning English as a second/foreign language since kindergarten school in my hometown, Dang. Learning English as a second/foreign language was not easy; however, it turned out to be one of my favorite subjects. After graduating from high school (10th Grade used to be high school and 11th and 12th grades were considered college level degree back then), I started teaching at the age of 17. Initially, I got into teaching out of necessity to support myself and my family financially. Later, it turned into a passion for life. I have taught English more than a decade in Nepal before moving to the US.
Currently, I am a full-time Lecturer in the award-winning Writing Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a PhD Candidate in Linguistics & Applied Linguistics at Arizona State University (ASU), with a secondary focus on Writing Studies, including L2/multilingual writing and first-year writing. I received an M.Ed in English Language Teaching (ELT) from Kathmandu University, Nepal in 2014. In addition, I earned my M.A. in TESOL from Minnesota State University in 2020, culminating into a research capstone project that explored international teaching assistants’ perceptions of the World Englishesparadigm and its pedagogical implications in U.S. composition classrooms. This research inspired my doctoral studies at ASU, where I have engaged in interdisciplinary research at the intersection of linguistics, applied linguistics, and writing studies.
During my graduate studies at ASU, I served as Assistant/Associate Director of second language (L2) Writing in the Writing Programs, organizing professional development initiatives to support bi/multilingual instructors. I have also held several leadership positions, including President of the Graduate Scholars of English Association (GSEA), cultivating a supportive environment for all graduate students across various programs in the English department to develop their academic and research potential by organizing graduate professional development (e.g., peer-mentoring program and research sessions) and community-building events. In addition, I served as the TESOL Convention Strand Coordinator for Advocacy for three consecutive years, collaborating with a team of 100+ reviewers to evaluate conference proposals, furthering high-quality scholarship in the field. Furthermore, I served as President of Arizona TESOL (AZTESOL), serving TESOL educators at all levels to network, advocate, and develop professionally in the State of Arizona.
Currently, I am in ABD status and writing my dissertation under the direction of Professor Matthew Prior and committee members Professor Aya Matsuda, and Professor Brendan O’Connor. My dissertation topic is Exploring Emotion(al) Labor of International Teaching Assistants in the First-year Writing Classroom, which delves into the emotional labor international teaching assistants (ITAs) experience and perform in the First-year writing classrooms at US universities. Using qualitative interviews and narrative inquiry, the study seeks to understand the institutional “feeling rules” and how ITAs work to manage their and their students’ emotions in the context of writing instruction, and how those experiences shape their professional and personal identities and trajectories. I expect to defend my dissertation and graduate in May, 2026.
Please feel free to contact me at madhukar@asu.edu; mkc@umass.edu for any questions or potential collaboration!
Madhukar KC (Madhu)Email: madhukar@asu.edu; mkc@umass.eduPhone: +1- (512) 436-5955
Full-time Lecturer, UMass Writing Program University of Massachusetts, Amherst
PhD Candidate, Linguistics and Applied Linguistics (Expected graduation, May 2026) Department of English, Arizona State University, Tempe
Madhukar KC 