Chandni Singh
Hello! I’m an environmental social scientist at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS), Bangalore. Welcome to my corner of the internet!
What I do
I study the linkages between climate change and development, with a focus on changing livelihoods in rural and urban places. Within this, I explore the drivers of vulnerability to climate change and hazards; how and why people adapt (or choose not to); and the outcomes of these decisions on wellbeing and aspirations. Most of my work has been located in rapidly transitioning, climate hotspots across South Asia, especially in dryland rural areas and coastal cities. I am currently a Senior Researcher and Faculty within the School of Environment and Sustainability at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Bangalore.
Apart from teaching and research, I am a Lead Author on the IPCC Assessment Report 6 Working Group II, and Contributing Author and Chapter Scientist on the IPCC Special Report on 1.5C. Other global assessments I have contributed to include the Global Assessment Report (GAR) on Drought 2021, UCCRN’s Third Assessment Report on Climate Change and Cities, and UNESCO-ICOMOS-IPCC “Cultural Heritage and Climate Change” Initiative.
I serve on the Editorial Boards of Regional Environmental Change, WIREs Climate Change (Domain Editor on Vulnerability and Adaptation), and Urbanisation.
What I’ve done
PhD International Development from the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development at the University of Reading, UK where I was part of the Livelihoods Research Group. My research explored farmer vulnerability and adaptation to water scarcity and climate change in southern Rajasthan.
MSc Natural Resource Management from TERI University, India, where I examined the ecological footprint of soybean in India. BSc Botany (Honours) from the University of Delhi, India.
I’ve worked with Bioversity International on the Landscapes for People, Food, and Nature Initiative and civil society organisations such as Pragya and WWF-India, implementing community-based watershed development and wetland restoration projects.
Where I’m going
I am a strong believer of storytelling to communicate, inspire, and connect; and this blog is a repository of reflections as a female climate researcher and environmentalist. Apart from my research, I am happiest reading, writing, gardening, baking, quilling, and taking long walks. I am disturbingly fond of dogs and new notebooks. I dream of writing a book some day.
Pictures: My first job, counting medicinal plants in Lahaul, Himachal Pradesh; quilling cards for Diwali; Coco, my mom’s springer spaniel; and tree-covered walks, which were my solace in Reading, UK.
chandnisingh.info 