Udisha Saklani

Udisha Saklani is a human geographer and development policy specialist whose work focuses on climate resilience, energy transitions, and inclusive infrastructure. Her research investigates how large-scale water and energy projects transform ecologies, livelihoods, and governance in fragile environments such as the Himalayas.

She conducted her doctoral research at the University of Cambridge amid the rivers, mountains, and communities of Nepal and the eastern Himalayas, examining how financial interests, regional politics, and ecological uncertainty shape hydropower planning and community responses.

Beyond academia, Udisha has extensive experience in policy design and evaluation across infrastructure, water and energy governance, climate adaptation, labour mobility, and sustainable livelihoods. She has advised several Australian Government and UNDP-supported initiatives, including DFAT’s Australia Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP), the Australian Water Partnership (AWP), and the Pacific Energy Gender Strategic Action Plan (PEGSAP), helping make climate and development programs more gender-responsive, socially inclusive, and locally grounded.

She holds a PhD in Geography from the University of Cambridge, a Master’s in Public Policy from the National University of Singapore, and a BA (Hons) in Mathematics from the University of Delhi. She previously lectured in Corporate Sustainability at Monash University (2023–2024) and is currently a Lecturer in Human Geography & Climate at King’s College London.