Richa works as a Programme Associate with the Risks and Adaptation teams at the Council. Her recent research project focuses on devising suitable interventions such as subsidy targeting and innovative incentive mechanisms to support the universal transition of Indian households to clean cooking energy fuels.

Richa’s research interests span across institutional change, environmental history, polycentric systems of natural resource governance, gender, and political ecology. Before joining the Council, Richa was involved in research projects examining urban resilience and sustainability, specifically focusing on the relationship between nature-based solutions and social justice. She also assisted in designing an online course for managers and development practitioners to showcase the potential of nature-based interventions for addressing climate change and sustainability challenges in urban areas. 

Richa holds a Ph.D. from Brown School of Social Work at Washington University, MSW from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, and MA from Delhi School of Economics. Her doctoral thesis examined how institutions shape collective action choices (and vice versa) governing forests to impact people’s livelihoods and inform social change.

In her free time, she enjoys reading books, playing table tennis, and catching up with family and friends over a good cup of tea.