Ursula Rao is a collaborator with For Digital Dignity, Project ONLINERPOL. She is an urban anthropologist researching in India. The central focus of her  work is changing power relations in rapidly globalising cities, with regards to three different topics: (1) the interaction between urban poor and state agencies in a landscape of  shifting ideologies of urbanity and social security; (2) the changing role of news media for shaping urban  politics; (3) The role of religious institutions and ritual performances for  renegotiating social relations. Her current work focusses on e-goverance and biometric technology. Ursula Rao is a member of the research network Law, Organization, Science and Technology (LOST).
Before joining the University of Leipzig, Rao held academic positions at the University of Heidelberg (1999-2002), the University of Halle (2002-2006), and the University of New South Wales, Sydney (2007-2012).