Principal Investigator

Shalini Sharma is an Associate Professor at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IISER Pune where she also heads the Science Media Centre. She has a PhD in Development Studies from SOAS, University of London as a Felix Fellow.

Centering political ecology, her current research/teaching focuses on two key areas: a) Disaster studies and environmental justice b) Media studies and Science Communication. She is a contributing author to IPCC 2022, was the first visiting fellow at UNESCO C2C for World Natural Heritage Management Training in India, and has received training from UNESCO Climate Change Office in Paris on national curriculum and strategic planning towards climate education goals. 

is a public health professional with over a decade of experience in community health, advocacy, and social-environmental justice. At IISER Pune, she works with the CARE initiative (Communicating Action and Resilience for Environmental Health in India), where her efforts are focused on Chhattisgarh.

Her work involves conducting environmental health impact assessments and operational studies on environment-related health challenges, supporting the state health department in implementing the Chhattisgarh State Program on Climate Change and Human Health (CG NPCCHH), and leading participatory approaches such as Community Environmental Monitoring (CEM), which links air pollution, respiratory illness, and health needs. She also contributes to developing tools and strategies for climate-health communication and community resilience.

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Before joining IISER Pune, Punita headed the Climate Change and Human Health Cell at the State Health Resource Centre, Raipur. She has been a contributor to the Healthy Energy Initiative (HEI), a global health advocacy network, and was formerly engaged in strategic planning with Health Care Without Harm. She has also served on the board of SPHERE India and convened the Inter-Agency Group (IAG) Chhattisgarh, strengthening networks for disaster preparedness and health response.

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Punita holds a postgraduate degree in Public Health from the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi, and a specialization in Psychiatric Social Work from Dr. B R Ambedkar University, Agra. She is passionate about advancing equitable, climate-resilient health systems and amplifying community voices in environmental health policymaking.

Nitha Thankam George is a public health professional with over five years of experience in climate change, environmental health, and health systems resilience. At IISER Pune, she works as a Program Associate for the CARE initiative (Communicating Action and Resilience for Environmental Health in India), where her efforts are focused on Kerala.

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Her work involves conducting climate vulnerability assessments of public health facilities, supporting the state health department in developing and implementing the State Action Plan on Climate Change and Human Health, and building the capacity of health workers to address climate-related health risks. She also contributes to developing climate-health communication tools and documenting good practices in building resilient, low-carbon health infrastructures.

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Before joining IISER Pune, Nitha worked with Health Care Without Harm, supporting Kerala’s Department of Health in advancing climate-resilient and net-zero healthcare transitions. She has also led research and advocacy with the Healthy Energy Initiative – India, focusing on air pollution, environmental monitoring, and strengthening climate-health policy at the state and National level.

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Nitha holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) from the Achutha Menon Centre for Health Science Studies, SCTIMST, and a BSc Nursing from Apollo College of Nursing, Chennai. She is passionate about building sustainable and equitable health systems and translating scientific evidence into actionable policies that strengthen resilience in climate-vulnerable communities.

is a communications professional with over a decade of expertise in advocacy and communication within the fields of environment and higher education. At IISER Pune, she is a strategic consultant with the CARE initiative (Communicating Action and Resilience for Environmental Health in India), where she leads communication and project strategy management. 

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Her work involves designing and implementing communication strategies that translate complex environmental and health issues into accessible narratives, developing multimedia toolkits, and building campaigns that engage diverse stakeholders. At CARE, she focuses on advancing climate-health communication and knowledge-sharing. 

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Pooja works with Krea University and has held multiple consulting roles on projects spanning research and communications. She previously spent nearly a decade at The Coastal Resource Centre, The Other Media, coordinating programs on community environmental monitoring, coastal conservation, and public health advocacy, with a focus on strategy, technical guidance, and communication support for climate-vulnerable communities.

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Pooja holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism with a specialization in Development Journalism from Madras University. In 2019, she was recognized among India’s 40 Under 40 Most Inspiring Eco-Sapiens by The New Indian Express. She is passionate about amplifying voices from the ground, strengthening public engagement on the climate-health nexus, and building communication strategies that support environmental and social justice.

works as a Technical Assistant at the Science Media Centre, IISER Pune, where she uses her skills in illustration and animation to help explain scientific ideas in a clear and engaging way. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Multimedia and a master’s in 3D Animation, and she also enjoys dabbling in comic-making and game design.

is a mischief-maker, a museum tinkerer and a freelance narrative  & interpretation designer. As a visual thinker, she's always been fascinated by circles and lines and the worlds we build with them. The conscience of these elements as an inquiry of ‘where do we draw the line’ has framed her practice from the literal visual to the conceptual to unpacking identity politics sustained through different systems and institutions of power (knowledge, space and medium)- with museums being at the heart of it. She works with narrative building, experience design, visual thinking and visual analysis and communication strategy development for physical and virtual spaces.