Aratrika is a Ph.D. student specializing in Public and Urban Policy at The New School, New York. She holds a bachelors degree in architecture from the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur and a masters in Urban Ecological Planning from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim.

 

Before joining The New School, she was involved with UN-Habitat in New Delhi and New York and served as a Research Associate at the School of Planning and Architecture in Bhopal. She has conducted fieldwork in India, the Netherlands, Norway, and China, fueling her passion for participatory urban governance and community engagement. Her current research focuses at the intersection of disaster risk governance and citizen science.

 

Beyond her academic pursuits, Aratrika is a skilled Hindustani classical singer and a Bharatanatyam dancer, embracing India's cultural diversity. These skills have allowed her to connect with India's diverse cultures, as well as cultures beyond its borders, through music, art, literature, history, and architecture.

 

Aratrika is dedicated to developing a disaster mitigation governance framework using citizen science to facilitate sustainable urban resettlement strategies. Her research addresses post-resettlement disaster risks and challenges related to land, food, livelihoods, and socio-political rights for vulnerable communities.