I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. My research addresses the triple sustainability challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and inequality, synthesizing information to scale sustainable transformations. I hold a PhD (Environment and Sustainability) from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. Additionally, I completed the Advanced Management Programme in Business Analytics at the Indian School of Business (ISB), the Program in Software Project Management at the Indian Institute of Management - Calcutta (IIM-C), and participated in the Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP 2023) at IIASA, Austria.
An interdisciplinary approach is central to my work, integrating theories and emerging methods from geography, sustainability science, applied econometrics, and data science to evaluate how policy instruments address contemporary sustainability challenges. My research draws on diverse datasets from remote sensing, household surveys, and national censuses, spanning broad spatial and temporal scales. It is organized into three clusters: (1) AI and Sustainability, (2) Environmental Change, and (3) Safety Net for People and Planet.
6. Pradhan, N., Agrawal, A., Mapping fine-scale socioeconomic inequality using machine learning and remotely sensed data, PNAS Nexus, 2025;, pgaf040, https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgaf040
5. Fischer, H.W., Chhatre, A., Duddu, A., Pradhan, N., Agrawal, A., 2023. Community forest governance and synergies among carbon, biodiversity and livelihoods. Nat. Clim. Chang. 13, 1340–1347. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01863-6
4. Agrawal, A., Erbaugh, J., Pradhan, N., 2023. The Commons. Annual Review of Environment and Resources 48, 531–558. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-112320-113509
3. Agrawal, A., Brandhorst, S., Jain, M., Liao, C., Pradhan, N., Solomon, D., 2022. From environmental governance to governance for sustainability. One Earth 5, 615–621. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2022.05.014
2. Erbaugh, J.T., Pradhan, N., Adams, J., Oldekop, J.A., Agrawal, A., Brockington, D., Pritchard, R., Chhatre, A., 2020. Global forest restoration and the importance of prioritizing local communities. Nat Ecol Evol 4, 1472–1476. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-01282-2
1. Davis, K.F., Chhatre, A., Rao, N.D., Singh, D., Ghosh-Jerath, S., Mridul, A., Poblete-Cazenave, M., Pradhan, N., DeFries, R., 2019. Assessing the sustainability of post-Green Revolution cereals in India. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 116, 25034–25041. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1910935116
5. Fischer, H.W., Chhatre, A., Duddu, A., Pradhan, N., Agrawal, A., 2023. Community forest governance and synergies among carbon, biodiversity and livelihoods. Nat. Clim. Chang. 13, 1340–1347. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01863-6
4. Agrawal, A., Erbaugh, J., Pradhan, N., 2023. The Commons. Annual Review of Environment and Resources 48, 531–558. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-112320-113509
3. Agrawal, A., Brandhorst, S., Jain, M., Liao, C., Pradhan, N., Solomon, D., 2022. From environmental governance to governance for sustainability. One Earth 5, 615–621. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2022.05.014
2. Erbaugh, J.T., Pradhan, N., Adams, J., Oldekop, J.A., Agrawal, A., Brockington, D., Pritchard, R., Chhatre, A., 2020. Global forest restoration and the importance of prioritizing local communities. Nat Ecol Evol 4, 1472–1476. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-01282-2
1. Davis, K.F., Chhatre, A., Rao, N.D., Singh, D., Ghosh-Jerath, S., Mridul, A., Poblete-Cazenave, M., Pradhan, N., DeFries, R., 2019. Assessing the sustainability of post-Green Revolution cereals in India. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 116, 25034–25041. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1910935116
I am committed to creating an inclusive learning environment that fosters critical thinking, strengthens analytical skills, and equips students to address real-world sustainability challenges. At the School for Environment and Sustainability, I have served as a Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) for three courses.
Natural Resource Statistics
This course covers applied introductory statistics. It focuses on when and why different statistical techniques should be used to analyze different datasets, rather than deriving the mathematical underpinnings of these techniques. Through this course, the students are introduced to one of the most common statistical programming languages. Lead Instructor: Dr. Inés Ibáñez
Introduction to R
The course focuses on the basic concepts of R programming language and how to analyze data using R. This class was open to anyone interested in learning the basics of using R. The course covered basic concepts of R, writing a function, importing a dataset, creating summary statistics, and basic data visualization techniques. Lead Instructor: Dr. Brian Weeks
Climate Adaptation
The seminar focuses on the specifics of climate change adaptation activities taking place internationally and in the USA in different regions and at different scales. Emphasis is given to understanding the different components of climate change adaptation and resilience and how stakeholders at the international, national, state, local, private, and nongovernmental levels are taking action to address existing and projected climate impacts with a focus on equity and justice. Lead Instructor: Dr. Rosina Bierbaum
Natural Resource Statistics
This course covers applied introductory statistics. It focuses on when and why different statistical techniques should be used to analyze different datasets, rather than deriving the mathematical underpinnings of these techniques. Through this course, the students are introduced to one of the most common statistical programming languages. Lead Instructor: Dr. Inés Ibáñez
Introduction to R
The course focuses on the basic concepts of R programming language and how to analyze data using R. This class was open to anyone interested in learning the basics of using R. The course covered basic concepts of R, writing a function, importing a dataset, creating summary statistics, and basic data visualization techniques. Lead Instructor: Dr. Brian Weeks
Climate Adaptation
The seminar focuses on the specifics of climate change adaptation activities taking place internationally and in the USA in different regions and at different scales. Emphasis is given to understanding the different components of climate change adaptation and resilience and how stakeholders at the international, national, state, local, private, and nongovernmental levels are taking action to address existing and projected climate impacts with a focus on equity and justice. Lead Instructor: Dr. Rosina Bierbaum
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability
Dana Building
440 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Email: nabin[at]umich[dot]edu
Dana Building
440 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Email: nabin[at]umich[dot]edu
