Monalisa Chatterjee is an interdisciplinary scientist with expertise in climate change risk, impacts, and vulnerability; constraints and barriers to climate adaptation policies; quantitative and qualitative social science research methods; and evaluation of economic and environmental policies for sustainable development. Her research focuses on studying urban environments and disadvantaged communities, socio-economic mechanisms, and extreme climate risk mitigation for vulnerable communities and translating scientific evidence for policymakers. Monalisa’s professional experiences include working as an adaptation specialist in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Technical Support Unit and as a policy analyst with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). With a comprehensive approach to examining climate and societal change impacts on risk distribution and resilience, Monalisa integrates multidisciplinary methods to develop robust policy frameworks aimed at sustainable adaptation and vulnerability reduction.

Monalisa earned her PhD in geography from Rutgers University. She is an associate professor of environmental studies at USC Dornsife, where she also serves as the program’s Graduate Director, and is an affiliated faculty member of the USC Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability. Her research at USC focuses on wildfire risks and the human dimensions of marine ecosystems.