A politics professor at NYU is suing the university and its Abu Dhabi campus, alleging that she experienced “immediate and visceral retaliation” for expressing concerns about discrimination at the abroad site. The professor, Kanchan Chandra, claims that, because of the retaliation, she had to leave her position in Abu Dhabi in a “humiliating manner.”

In the lawsuit, Chandra describes working in an environment with “gender-based hostility” where she faced “inappropriate” conduct from other faculty and was excluded from committees that she said she was qualified for. When she went to her dean with concerns, she was repeatedly told that her problems were “interpersonal” and did not receive responses addressing the formal complaints she filed.

NYU spokesperson John Beckman said that the university “disputes the claims” in the lawsuit and expects to “ultimately prevail.”

When Chandra began her joint faculty appointment between the Abu Dhabi and Washington Square campuses in fall of 2018, she was one of two tenured female professors at the Abu Dhabi site, and the only tenured woman of color in its Social Science Division and Politics Program, according to the complaint. Chandra was a visiting faculty member at NYU Abu Dhabi the year prior, when she was referred to Jeffrey Timmons — then head of the politics program — to join a search committee. 

Timmons informed Chandra there were four male faculty members in mind for the committee and that he did not plan to include her, later telling her he “had it” with “these senior women from New York.” Although she was eventually added to the committee, Chandra alleges Timmons “denigrated” her with “clerical and administrative” assignments. She also said that after she confronted him about “inappropriate behaviors and sexist language,” he said “you are like my wife, you can’t let things go.” Timmons received similar complaints in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

The suit details Chandra’s first months as a professor at NYU Abu Dhabi, characterized by exclusion from committees and events, and continual dismissal of her grievances. In February 2019, she filed a complaint with NYU’s Office of Equal Opportunity, outlining gender-based hostility within the social sciences division and politics program. Shortly after, the department’s dean launched a “baseless investigation” into Chandra, wherein she was not informed of the charge, procedure or outcome. Seven months later, the OEO reported that it had found no evidence of policy violations in Chandra’s complaint.

In March 2019 — one month after the OEO complaint was filed — Chandra met with President Linda Mills, a representative of NYU’s Provost at the time, who advised her to take leave until a new vice chancellor was appointed the next academic year. Mills also promised Chandra an “explicit acknowledgement” of the gender discrimination she faced and protection from further retaliation — however, according to the complaint, the promise was never founded. After writing to the incoming vice chancellor, Chandra received no response and said she was not included in new committees and initiatives open to other members of her departments. 

After Paula England became the new Dean of Social Sciences over a year later, she informed Chandra that her contract at NYU Abu Dhabi would not be extended. England had initially said Chandra’s appointment could continue, but after Chandra iterated concerns regarding gender discrimination on campus, England said that features of Chandra’s contract were “exceptions to what is allowed” and confirmed she would not extend her tenure. Chandra’s teaching and faculty status as joint appointee was eventually terminated and her application for renewal was denied.

When Chandra returned to New York, she was excluded from all faculty committees and told by her department’s chair that “it cannot be the expectation of faculty members to be included in committees.” Chandra tried to reapply to teach at NYU Abu Dhabi for J-Term 2024 but was rejected and discouraged from applying by England due to “pressing needs” and “budgetary restrictions.” The site announced a new application process for J-Term teaching in 2025 in March 2024.

NYU prohibits discrimination and harassment based on legally protected categories such as race and gender, and has a no-retaliation policy against anyone who reports or partakes in misconduct investigations. The university recommends that employees who believe they have experienced or witnessed discrimination report the incident to the OEO, the dean of a respective school or human resources officer, and says it will then aim to conduct an investigation of the complaint within 45 days.

Albert Rizzo, an NYU assistant professor with experience in employment law and wrongful termination cases, said that establishments like NYU should have protocols for a complaint process with clear guidelines for employees. He added that failure to notify the employer of discriminatory conduct via the correct protocols can be a valid defense for employers.

“Whether the protocols are effective or not is a different story — they probably fail more often than you might think, simply because they are not clear,” Rizzo said. “There could be a process laid out in an employee handbook, but the handbook is not written clearly enough for the employee to know what process to follow.”

Contact Adrianna Nehme at [email protected].