Prathijna Poonacha Kodira is an interdisciplinary practitioner and researcher working on a range of topics related to climate change adaptation in urban and peri-urban geographies. Her professional experience ranges across work on the built environment, heritage and conservation, urban planning, urban livelihood transitions, nature-based solutions and, more recently, on the dynamics of migration. A central concern in her work is the translation of research into impact on policy and practice through deep and sustained stakeholder engagement using multiple participatory engagement methods. She is trained in using several scenario planning and futures thinking methods and tools, such as Transformative Scenario Planning and Foresight methods.

Prathijna’s research portfolio spans several large-scale multi-country, multi-partner projects with a wide geographical focus, including India and South Asia, and countries across sub-Saharan Africa, where her work attempts to foreground localised, socially differentiated impacts and adaptive strategies. In India, she has worked closely with several sub-national and local governments to progress their climate action.

Prathijna has previously taught courses on climate change, urban adaptation, and the built environment. She has contributed to several capacity building programmes for policymakers and urban practitioners, on topics as energy-efficient habitat, concepts of climate change vulnerability, and translating research into impact. Trained as an architect and holding an MSc in Human Settlements from KU Leuven, Belgium, her academic and professional work is rooted in systems thinking, spatial justice, and equitable development pathways.