A native of Nepal, Dharma Adhikari obtained his bachelor’s in English and Philosophy and a master’s in English and American literature in Kathmandu. He worked as a newspaper reporter, a magazine editor, and a columnist before he moved to the US for further studies, under a Fulbright scholarship. He received his MA (2000) and a PhD (2004) in journalism from the University of Missouri School of Journalism at Columbia.

Before coming to XJTLU, he served as associate professor at Shantou University (2017-2022), assistant professor at Georgia Southern University (2004-2007), and instructor at the University of Missouri School of Journalism at Columbia (2000-2004). In the 2010s, he contributed to non-profit media initiatives, dividing time between journalism training, policy research, and media writing.

He has written for various press outlets globally and continues to write a media criticism column for the Kathmandu Post newspaper. He is the author of "A Compassionate Journalist" (2010), chronicling the professional life of Bharat Dutta Koirala, a 2002 Ramon Magsaysay Award winner. He has co-authored four other books on communication topics. His research lies within news and editorial practices, exploring the intersections of journalism, society, and (new) media.

News and editorial practices; intersections of journalism, society and new media

Associate Professor, Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University, 2022-

Associate Professor, Shantou University, Guangdong, China, 2017-2022

Affiliate faculty, Pokhara University, Nepal, 2008-2016

Visiting faculty, Kathmandu University, Dept. of Languages and Mass Communication, Spring 2008

Assistant Professor, Georgia Southern University, USA, 2004-2007

Teaching Instructor, University of Missouri at Columbia, 2002-2004

Supervised, co-supervised student projects, including undergraduate, post-graduate and PhD dissertations.

Taught, co-taught, introduced or helped develop courses, including:
XJTLU: COM262 News Reporting, COM157 Introduction to Journalism Studies, COM155 Rhetoric and Media Analysis

Shantou University: Intro to Journalism, News Reporting and Writing (grad), International Reporting, Multimedia Journalism, Global Media Systems, Media Literacy (grad.; introduced), Qualitative Research Methods (grad.)

Pokhara University: Journalism Studies, Opinion Journalism, Media Literacy and Criticism, Investigative Journalism, Visual Communication (also introduced, developed these grad courses)

Georgia Southern University: Intro to Journalism, News Reporting and Writing, International Media Systems, Online Journalism (introduced), Mass Media Theories

University of Missouri-Columbia: Intro to Journalism (undergrad course), Mass Media Seminar (graduate course)

Best Syllabus in Journalism, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS), GSU, 2007.

SAJA Outstanding Editorial/Op-ed/Commentary Award, South Asian Journalists Association, New York, 2006.

Fulbright Scholar, Missouri School of Journalism at Columbia, 1998- 2000.

International Journalism Exchange Fellow, jointly hosted by the International Center for Journalists (ICJ), American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) and Freedom Forum, Washington DC, Oct.-Nov. 1996.

First Place, Diploma in Journalism, Nepal Press Institute, Kathmandu, 1990.

Scholastic achievement award (firs class first in B.A., nationwide), Tribhuvan University, 1990.