The Mittal Institute concludes its fall event lineup with “Colonial Surveillance in Asia,” a December 19 seminar that will explore the persistence and evolution of colonial surveillance in Asia. We spoke with P. Arun, Mittal Institute India Fellow, who previewed the conference and gave some insights into colonial surveillance practices in South Asia.
In “From smoke to Science,” Prof. David Shumway Jones explores how history, science, and public health together reveal new ways to understand and combat air pollution today
As heatwaves intensify and rainfall patterns shift, the effects of climate change in South Asia are no longer confined to the environment; they’re reshaping lives in deeply personal ways. A new India Development Review article, “In Tamil Nadu, Climate Extremes Are Reshaping Maternal Well-being,” by Mittal Institute Associate Dr. Saravanan Thangarajan explores how these environmental stresses are affecting maternal mental health across India. The research, supported by the Mittal Institute and building upon collaborations from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, offers powerful insights into the intersection of climate, health, and gender. Dr. Thangarajan, a Visiting Scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Ariadne Labs, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, gave us an introduction to his article and shared some images from his fieldwork in Tamil Nadu.
Rising temperatures are pushing Indian cities to the limits of human comfort, with residents in rooftop rooms particularly affected by extreme heat trapped under concrete roofs. To address these challenges, the project “Ultra-Low Cost Solutions for Overheating and Sleep
Disruption in South Asian Homes” was initiated with support from a Mittal Institute Faculty Research grant.
Watch the event video from “Sun, Wind, and Biomass: India’s Path to a Sustainable Future,” a Harvard Climate Action Week book talk with Prof. Michael B. McElroy, Gilbert Butler Professor of Environmental Studies at Harvard University, and Prem Shankar Jha, Former Visiting Fellow, Harvard-China Project; author and journalist. Co-sponsored by the Harvard-China Project on Energy, Economy, and Environment and the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute at Harvard University.
Researchers supported by a Mittal Institute grant and affiliated with the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability argue that protecting workers across the Global South from hazardous heat must not stop when they leave the job, as many low-wage workers return to homes that stay dangerously hot overnight. Their work was published in the BMJ and featured in an article by the Salata Institute.
Two India Fellows, Rinan and Nobonita, at the Mittal Institute, explore water through the lenses of governance, gender, and narrative has opened new ways of understanding this crisis. Instead of starting with scarcity as a number, their works ask us to see water as lived experience: shaped by boundaries, by politics, and by stories.
Sachin Kumar, the Mittal Family Climate Fellow, studies Artificial Intelligence, particularly the intersection of AI technology and societal impact. His research focuses on leveraging AI/ML to solve urban and societal challenges, specifically urban governance, climate change and sustainability. Currently serving as an Assistant Professor at the Cluster Innovation Centre, University of Delhi, he is also the Executive Officer of the University of Delhi Foundation. We spoke with Dr. Kumar about his research and what he hopes from his Mittal Institute fellowship.
A multi-country session, titled ‘Protecting Workers in Heat Action Plans’ hosted by The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute at Harvard, The Harvard Center for African Studies’ Africa Office, and The Center for Labor and a Just Economy at Harvard Law School brought together experts from India, South Africa, and the United States to address the urgent intersections of labor, climate, and resilience.
How can India turn waste and clean energy into fuel to fight air pollution? The answer may lie in biomass, says Michael B. McElroy, the Gilbert Butler Professor of Environmental Studies in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and the Harvard Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Prof. McElroy is one of the inaugural recipients of a Mittal Institute Faculty Climate Grant for his project, “Optimizing India’s Biofuel Capacity with Green Hydrogen Penetration: A Decarbonization and Emission Reduction Strategy.”
The Mittal Institute is excited to announce a funding opportunity for faculty research on climate change in South Asia in the academic year 2025-2026. Harvard faculty members from any Harvard School are invited to propose impactful climate research projects or interdisciplinary collaboration through workshops that address the critical challenges of climate change in the region.
As climate change intensifies, extreme weather events—especially heatwaves—are placing growing pressure on India’s healthcare system. To better understand these challenges, the project “Climate Change, Health Security, and Emergency Care in India: An Exploratory Evaluation” was launched with support from a Mittal Institute grant.