Focus Areas:
- Medical Geography in Global Health
- Catastrophes, Conservation, and Conflict
- Sustainability & Global Environmental Change
- Geospatial Analysis and Techniques
Country of Origin: India
Degree Program: PhD
Entered Program: Spring 2022
Expected Graduation: Spring 2026
Dissertation topic: Tracing Vegetation Change in a Shifting Environment
Research statement: My research explores how changing climatic patterns impact vegetation dynamics, which in turn impacts landscape resilience and human health in disparate locations.
In the first project, I am investigating the relationship between urban green cover and cognitive health using Miami, Florida, as a model city. I will identify which spatial resolutions most effectively capture the relationship between greenness and health. This work will inform urban planners and public health professionals seeking to leverage green infrastructure as a preventative tool against neurodegenerative decline.
In the second project, which focuses on Namibia, I examine national vegetation changes under varying regimes of temperature and rainfall. In order to compare areas managed by various land-use institutions, such as state-protected parks, communal conservancies, and private farms, I will measure long-term changes in vegetation patterns and resilience. In order to provide evidence for more resilient land-use strategies, this comparative viewpoint will identify the management systems that best maintain vegetative health amid climatic shocks.
In the third project, I will narrow in on the Ohangwena, Oshana, and Omusati regions of north-central Namibia to develop a Dynamic Sustainability Index. I will map local vulnerability to droughts, floods, and other environmental shocks by combining ecological indicators with socioeconomic data and community input. I will engage stakeholders through participatory mapping and field validation ensures that the index reflects on-the-ground realities and supports targeted interventions.
Across these three interlinked projects, my research builds a comparative framework that bridges urban and semi-arid landscapes, deepening our understanding of vegetation-health linkages and guiding conservation and public health strategies tailored to diverse ecological and social setting.
Adviser: Dr. Jane Southworth
Educational Background
- M.S. in Biodiversity and Conservation, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, 2018
- B.S. in Microbiology, University of Delhi, 2016
Recent publications
Lippi, C. A., Mundis, S. J., Sippy, R., Flenniken, J. M., Chaudhary, A., Hecht, G., Carlson, C. J., & Ryan, S. J. (2023). Trends in mosquito species distribution modeling: Insights for vector surveillance and disease control. Parasites & Vectors, 16(1), 302.
Samrat, A., Purse, B. V., Vanak, A., Chaudhary, A., Uday, G., Rahman, M., Hassall, R., George, C., & Gerard, F. (2024). Producing context specific land cover and land use maps of human-modified tropical forest landscapes for infectious disease applications. Science of The Total Environment, 912, 168772.
Sarika, S., Chaudhary, A., Kumari, A., Bharti, B., Sanyal, A., Gangopadhayya, A., Banerjee, S., Ray, A., & Ray, R. (2021). CEiBa Newsletter 4(3).