Pooja Prasad

Pooja Prasad is a Research Fellow at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, focusing on adaptive investment pathways for smallholder irrigation systems in dryland regions. Her work integrates socio-ecological systems analysis with climate-resilient agriculture strategies.

Education: Ph.D. in Social-Ecological Systems Analysis (IIT Bombay, 2019), M.Sc. from Stanford University, B.Tech. in Chemical Engineering (IIT Bombay). Her doctoral thesis won the Excellence in Ph.D. Research Award (2018-2020) and contributed to Maharashtra's Climate Resilient Agriculture Project.

Research interests include farmer-led irrigation innovation, vulnerability mapping for climate adaptation, and policy frameworks for sustainable intensification. She teaches courses on irrigation management and research design, mentoring MSc students at IHE Delft.

Publications emphasize adaptive governance, water resource dynamics in drylands, and socio-technical barriers to irrigation scaling. Her work bridges academic research with policy implementation through projects like NaBWIG (Nature-Based Water Infrastructure for Global Goals).