Professor Nitya Rao

Professor Nitya Rao has worked extensively for over three decades as a researcher, teacher, and advocate in the fields of women’s rights, employment, and education. Beginning as an activist for gender equality and women’s empowerment, her research explores gendered changes in land and migration within marginalised rural communities, aiming to achieve livelihood, food, and nutrition security in the face of climate and economic challenges, primarily in South Asia, with experience also in Eastern Africa. She has led and contributed to numerous multi-country research programmes focused on climate change adaptation, sustainable food systems, coastal transformations and migration.

Recognised for her scientific expertise, Professor Rao serves on high-level science advisory panels including the EAT-Lancet Commission 2.0 and the UN Food Systems Transformation Coordination Hub, and recently completed a term on the HLPE to the CFS. She also contributes to research strategy as part of UKRI and UK-CGIAR advisory groups. As the Director of the Norwich Institute for Sustainable Development, a key objective has been to create synergies across disciplines for impactful research and practice towards just, equitable, food-secure, and sustainable futures.

As a teacher for 20 years, Professor Rao has developed understanding of gender issues among students, supervised over 30 PhD candidates, and mentored numerous early career researchers.