Faculty Work on Climate
FACULTY CLIMATE RESEARCH GRANT PROJECTS
In February 2025, the Mittal Institute announced its first recipients of the Faculty Climate Research Grants. These grants are designed to foster deeper scholarly engagement on climate change, catalyze the creation of new knowledge, and contribute to the development of sustainable solutions across South Asia. Learn about the eight winning projects below:
Documenting Women’s Leadership in Climate Resilience Building in Koshi Province, Nepal
Principal Investigators: Vincenzo Bollettino, Director, Program on Resilient Communities at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative; Director, National NGO Program on Humanitarian Leadership and Patrick Vinck, Research Director, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative; Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Heat Stress in India: Why is Relative Humidity in Addition to Temperature on the Rise?
Principal Investigator: Peter Huybers, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Chair, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
A Systematic Review of Climate Change and Learning: Fostering Climate Resilient Education through Improved Policymaking
Principal Investigator: Asim Khwaja, Sumitomo-FASID Professor of International Finance and Development; Director, Center for International Development
Unveiling Gendered Climate Vulnerability in India: Blending Historical archives, Satellite and Census Data
Project Investigators: Eliana La Ferrara, Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School; Aditi Bhowmick, CID PhD Affiliate, Concentrations in Development Economics & Labor Economics
Optimizing India’s Biofuel Capacity with Green Hydrogen Penetration: A Decarbonization and Emission Reduction Strategy
Principal Investigator: Michael B. McElroy, Gilbert Butler Professor of Environmental Studies, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; Chair, Harvard-China Project on Energy, Economy, and Environment
Climate Change, Loss and Damage, and Habitability in Nepal
Principal Investigator: Eugene Richardson, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Assistant Professor of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
South Asia’s Role in Shaping a Future Global Climate Policy: The Case of Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms
Principal Investigator: Dustin Tingley, Thomas D. Cabot Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School of Public Policy and Harvard Government Department
Music and Rain: Indigenous Climate Stories from South India (a film)
Principal Investigator: Richard K. Wolf, Professor of Music and South Asian Studies, Harvard University Department of Music
OTHER FACULTY RESEARCH GRANT PROJECTS ON CLIMATE
The Mittal Institute supports a wide range of work in South Asia through Faculty Grants, some of which also include climate research. Learn about four ongoing projects below.
Climate Change, Health Security and Emergency Care in India: An Exploratory Evaluation
Principal Investigator: Caleb Dresser, MD, MPH, Fellow, Harvard Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
The project aims to assess how heat will affect accessibility, availability, and effectiveness of crucial emergency care in India, along with policy approaches that will be most effective in addressing these threats to the system. The research has included a review of the existing literature, development of materials for solicitation of perspectives from healthcare providers and administrators in India, and a survey of healthcare workers during 2024’s extreme heat. Findings will help stakeholders develop recommendations for future research and policy initiatives focused on adaptation of Indian emergency care systems to support population health security in a rapidly changing climate.
Interviews in Bangladesh about Climate Adaptation
Principal Investigator: Susan Crawford, John A. Reilly Clinical Professor of Law at the Harvard Law School
The project explores Bangladesh’s planned relocation efforts, with the aim to produce a book about climate adaptation, particularly in response to rising sea levels. This will also support scholarship on adaptation to climate change impacts in the U.S. Professor Susan Crawford is exploring vulnerable areas of Bangladesh and conducting interviews with affected and vulnerable people in the area as part of the project.
Ultra-Low-Cost Solutions for Overheating and Sleep Disruption in Indian Homes
Principal Investigator: Holly Samuelson, Associate Professor of Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design
In the context of increasing incidences of health impacts and even death due to extreme heat, Professor Holly Samuelson looks at how buildings and their construction materials impact thermal comfort and safety in Indian homes. The project explores scalable solutions for Indian homes that can be deployed in a cost- and time-efficient manner. This project will test an ultra-low-cost solution consisting of lightweight radiant barriers installed below the ceiling, with and without exterior cool-roof coatings. It will additionally simulate the performance of more moderately priced solutions that include a dropped ceiling for aesthetics and increased durability.
Healthy Ambient Lighting Environments for Dhaka City
Principal Investigator: Gary Adamkiewicz, Associate Professor of Environmental Health Disparities at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
The amount of ambient lighting available in a neighborhood affects the quality of its environment andcan lead to health impacts on residents. The researchers have previously studied the levels of ambient daylight at the city level in relation to urban density, based on input from community partners and stakeholders in Dhaka who first identified this as a city-wide problem primarily affecting slum neighborhoods. This project is advancing this work, in partnership with BRAC University in Bangladesh. The project will model the lighting environment through a climate-based daylight simulation approach. The project will look at the drivers related to urban density and form through a series of analyses, testing for specific conditions. The project will co-create policy recommendations to help improve ambient lighting conditions, promote safety, livability, and vibrant urban environments, and support publications and next steps for studying other risk factors present in the city.
