Nalini Chhetri

Nalini Chhetri is a Clinical Professor at Arizona State University (ASU), holding dual appointments in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and the School of Sustainability. She is affiliated with the Institute for Social Science Research, Center for Asian Research, and the Humanities for the Environment Global Network’s North American Observatory. She also serves as a Senior Global Futures Scientist within the Global Futures Scientists and Scholars program.

Chhetri earned a Ph.D. in Educational Theory and Policy with a minor in Demography from Pennsylvania State University (2005), an M.Sc. in Cyto-genetics from North Bengal University (1987), and a B.Sc. in Zoology (Honors) from North Bengal University (1984).

Her research focuses on STEM education among refugee communities, natural resource and watershed management, climate impacts in the Global South, and urban sustainability. She advises over a dozen Ph.D. students globally and collaborates with agencies in China, Ghana, India, and others, while consulting for UNESCO and European bilateral agencies.

Chhetri leads funded research projects like the Arizona BRACE program (2014–2019) and Global Development Lab Fellowships (2014–2017). She teaches courses on sustainability science, global development, and research methodologies, including SOS 314 (Basic Energy Science) and SOS 799 (Dissertation).