Kavita Upadhyay
India
MSc Water Science, Policy and Management, 2019
Linacre College
Funding: Oxford-Hoffmann
Kavita is a research associate with Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway's project on rivers and rights, where she is responsible for research on Himalayan rivers in India. She is also an independent Journalist and researcher in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR). She writes about the region’s environmental issues, especially those around water.
Prior to pursuing an MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management (WSPM) from Oxford, she had worked as a journalist in India for six years, reporting mostly on politics and the environment for two of India’s prominent newspapers—'The Hindu', and 'The Indian Express'.
Kavita is currently an independent journalist and researcher working in the Indian Himalayan Region. She works with experts across the globe on issues regarding climate change and disasters (like floods and landslides) in the Indian Himalayas. The work won the 2022 Grove Karl Gilbert Award from the American Association of Geographers.
Over the past two years, she has been interviewed by international and national media organisations (like BBC London, and CNN India) on issues pertaining to climate change and disasters in the Himalayan region. She has mentored Indian start-ups whose work is on environmental issues, and has delivered lectures in universities (like ETH Zurich) on environmental issues in the Himalayan region. Currently, as a research associate with Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway's project on riverine rights, she conducts research on Himalayan rivers in India.
She is based in Uttarakhand, Indian Himalayan Region.
“ I recently wrote news articles and opinion pieces about a flood-related disaster in the IHR, which were very well received. A specific opinion piece earned a lot of traction on social media because it was a very bold piece that questioned government decisions on developmental issues in fragile IHR. The confidence to write that piece came from my past experiences, my Oxford degree, and most importantly, from my engagement with WHT.”