Dr. Smitha Rao obtained her BA in Journalism from University of Delhi, India, in 2003, her MA in Social Work from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), India, in 2005, her MSc in Environment and Development from King’s College, London, UK, in 2011, and her PhD in Social Work from Boston College in 2021. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the College of Social Work, The Ohio State University. Her work at the intersection of environment, development, and social policy is informed by her interdisciplinary background in social work and human geography. Her research interests include: (1) extreme weather events and contextual vulnerability, (2) improving adaptive capacities among communities to deal with climatic and other stressors, and (3) the effects of air pollution on environmental health and improving access to clean energy.