Malavika Rao

Dr. Malavika Rao is a Postdoctoral Researcher at C-EENRG (Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance) within the Department of Land Economy at the University of Cambridge. She is also a Research Affiliate at the Refugee Law Initiative (University of London) and the Global Migration Centre (Geneva). Her work focuses on intersections between environmental law, migration law, climate change, and food security.

• PhD in International Law, Geneva Graduate Institute (2024)
• LLM in Environmental Law & Energy/Clean Technology Law, UC Berkeley (2017)
• Law Degree (BALLB(Hons.)), Christ University, India (2016)

Her research explores legal frameworks for climate-induced displacement, particularly how the principle of non-refoulement applies to food deprivation migration. At Cambridge, she will investigate international legal infrastructure for food flows and distribution.

Notable achievements include:

• Recipient of Swiss National Science Foundation Postdoc Mobility Fellowship (2024-2026)
• Former Utility Justice Legal Fellow at The Utility Reform Network (TURN), San Francisco (2017-2018)