Hi, I'm Aditi! 👋🏽
I’m a climate researcher, educator, and policy strategist who helps people and organizations understand and act on complex climate challenges. I didn’t plan on working in climate; in fact, I famously hated being outdoors, a vestige of growing up in Dubai where summers frequently topped 100°F, and I mostly moved between air-conditioned spaces. I fell into environmental studies in college, and a summer at the University of Michigan's Biological Station (to my horror, affectionately dubbed “bug camp”) sparked my first real connection with nature, setting me on a path to protect our planet for future generations 🌱
I earned a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Management at The Ohio State University, where I studied how political communication shapes climate change beliefs among skeptics. This lens continues to inform my approach to anticipating resistance, bridging divides, facilitating dialogue, and building coalitions that can sustain long-term policy change.
My professional experience spans the public, private, non-profit, and academic sectors. I’ve partnered with Indigenous communities to design 1M+ hectares of native reforestation initiatives; developed a $400M pipeline of emissions reductions projects spanning Europe, Asia, and the US; and created policy frameworks to guide urban resilience and climate action. Alongside this, I’ve made teaching and mentoring the next generation of climate leaders a central focus of my career. I’ve taught undergraduate public policy and leadership courses, advised graduate sustainability consulting teams, and championed youth engagement programs.
Outside of work, you'll usually find me experimenting in the kitchen, crafting, planning my next travel adventure, or hiking with my husband and our Bernese Mountain Dog, Butters 🐶 At the heart of my life, and my work, is connection: to people, place, and purpose.
SKILLS
POLICY & ENGAGEMENT: Legislative and Policy Advocacy, Coalition Building, Fundraising, Conflict Resolution, Stakeholder Engagement, Public Testimony Development, Consensus Building, Facilitation, Public-Private Partnerships
GRANT & PROGRAM OPERATIONS: Grant Management, Performance Reporting, Budget Tracking & Compliance, Proposal Development, Program Management & Logistics, Strategic Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation
RESEARCH & ANALYSIS: Survey Design, Quantitative and Qualitative Methods, Data Collection and Analysis, Interviews, Focus Groups, IRB Protocols, Behavioral Insights, Excel, NVivo, R, SPSS, Stata
CARBON REGISTRIES AND MARKET PLATFORMS: Isometric, Verra, Gold Standard, Puro.Earth, New Zealand ETS
SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORKS: CCB Standards, CDP, CSRD, GHG Protocol, GRI, ICVCM, SBTi, TCFD, TNFD, VCMI
DIGITAL & COLLABORATION TOOLS: Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace, Canva, NGP VAN, Canvas LMS, Miro, Qualtrics
PROJECT & WORKFLOW MANAGEMENT: Asana, ClickUp, Notion, Trello
LANGUAGES: English (native), French (conversational), Hindi (conversational), Spanish (beginner – actively learning)
INTERESTS & ADDITIONAL SKILLS: Scuba Diving, Baking, Photography, Cooking, Crocheting, Sewing, Licensed Wedding Officiant
EDUCATION
The Ohio State University, 2022
Ph.D. Public Policy & Management
Dissertation: To Believe or Not to Believe? The Influence of Political Communication on the Beliefs of Climate Change Skeptics in the United States
Columbia University, 2013
M.A. Climate & Society
University of Michigan, 2011
B.S. Program in the Environment
AWARDS & HONORS
Sesquicentennial Student Scholar Leadership Program
The Ohio State University, 2019 - 2022
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Glenn College Doctoral Research Grant Award
John Glenn College of Public Affairs, 2019
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PROFESSIONAL SERVICE & INVOLVEMENT
Board Vice Chair, Trustee & Sponsor for Strategic Partnerships & Engagement
Board of Trustees, The Nature Conservancy in Ohio (2020 - Present)
Mentor, M.A. in Climate & Society
Columbia University (2020 - Present)
University Career Alumni Network Mentor
University of Michigan (2015 - Present)
Doctoral Student Mentor
John Glenn College of Public Affairs (2018 - 2022)
Member, Mental Health Task Force
John Glenn College of Public Affairs (2018 - 2019)
College of Literature, Sciences & The Arts Student Mentor
University of Michigan Summer Mentorship Program (2018 - 2019)
Doctoral Student Representative, Diversity & Inclusion Committee
John Glenn College of Public Affairs (2017 - 2019)
Diversity & Inclusion Committee Member
OSU Council of Graduate Students (2016 - 2019)
Doctoral Student Representative, Budget & Strategic Planning Committee
John Glenn College of Public Affairs (2017 - 2018)
Social Chair, Doctoral Student Organisation
John Glenn College of Public Affairs (2017 - 2018)