Aishwarya Bhattacharjee

Ash has an interdisciplinary background in ecology and the human dimension of conservation. She received her BSc from Rutgers University and Ph.D. at the City University of New York. In her current role as a Social Values Mapping Specialist (post-doc) with The Nature Conservancy, she focuses on developing approaches to incorporate social values into analyses and decision support for TNC's work on a sustainable renewable energy transition. By leveraging data on social indicators (e.g., cultural, ecological, economic) and mapping potential for social conflicts primarily in India and Europe, her work facilitates a more proactive and conflict-sensitive approach to renewable energy siting and overall decision-making on land use.

Ash’s past experience spans a variety of ecological systems, stakeholders and countries including Nepal, Indonesia, Samoa, Germany, and the US. Her PhD work involved leading landscape level research across a biome and elevation gradient in Nepal, studying the patterns and drivers (i.e., biological, anthropogenic, and socioecological) of vertebrate scavenger diversity and their associated ecosystem services.

Ash is especially interested in contributing to both conservation and policy through scientifically and socially informed research, assessments of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and the relationship between people and nature.