Sumita Ghosh

Sumita Ghosh is an Associate Professor in the School of Built Environment at the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building (DAB) at University of Technology Sydney (UTS). With over 28 years of teaching, research and professional experience as an architect and urban planner, she has established herself as a leading expert in urban resilience and sustainable planning. Her academic appointments include Director of Higher Degree Research Programs (since Dec 2023), former Higher Degree Research Coordinator (2021-2023), and former Course Director of Postgraduate Planning (2022-2023). She is also a member of the DAB Faculty Ethics Committee and affiliated with the Centre for Advanced Modelling and Geospatial Information Systems (CAMGIS) at UTS.

• Director of Higher Degree Research Programs, UTS Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building (Dec 2023 - present)
• Associate Professor, School of Built Environment, UTS (Jan 2019 - present)
• Senior Lecturer, School of Built Environment, UTS (Jan 2011 - Dec 2018)
• Lecturer, Macquarie University (2010)

Dr. Ghosh holds a PhD from The University of Auckland, New Zealand, a Graduate Certificate in Remote Sensing and Earth Observation from Pennsylvania State University, a Master of City Planning from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, and a Bachelor of Architecture from National Institute of Technology, India. Her extensive educational background spans architecture, urban planning, and geospatial technologies.

Sumita Ghosh's research focuses on urban resilience, connecting to multiple strands of urban sustainability research. Her core interests include green infrastructure planning and policy (urban forestry and local food production), urban morphologies, and climate change impacts and adaptation using spatial GIS and remote sensing applications. She explores food urbanism theory and practices in designing and master planning for precincts to create healthy and sustainable communities. Her work integrates nature-based solutions to address urban challenges such as flood risk, heat island effects, and food security, with a particular emphasis on high-density urban environments. Dr. Ghosh's research has significant implications for urban policy and practice, especially regarding sustainable urban transformation in the context of climate change.

Analysis of Dr. Ghosh's recent publication record reveals a strong focus on urban sustainability, with particular emphasis on green infrastructure, urban agriculture, and climate resilience. Her work spans multiple geographic contexts from Australian cities to global case studies in Dhaka and Accra. The interdisciplinary nature of her research is evident in publications that bridge urban planning, environmental science, public health, and social equity. A notable trend is her increasing focus on nature-based solutions as a response to climate change impacts, with particular attention to how these solutions can be integrated into high-density urban environments. Her research demonstrates a consistent commitment to translating academic knowledge into practical planning applications.

• Chief Investigator (CI) from UTS in a collaborative research project funded by Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL) Category 1 grant investigating Australia's urban forest carbon benefits
• CI in City of Sydney's Environmental Grant Programme on rooftop urban food production
• CI in Landcom's urban transformation project on local foodscapes and placemaking
• CI in IKEA's project on measuring sustainable lifestyles and CO2 emissions savings
• Current work with Achieve Australia on mapping Specialist Disability Housing (SDA) in NSW
• Current work with NSW Department of Education and Training on sharing green space

Dr. Ghosh teaches urban design, strategic planning, master planning, and spatial analysis using GIS methods in the Master of Planning degree at UTS. She has supervised numerous PhD and postgraduate research students, with completed theses covering topics such as climate change vulnerability in informal settlements, wind resilience in tall buildings, and office layout impacts on organizational culture. Currently, she supervises four PhD students working on projects related to green infrastructure, flood resilience, urban agriculture, and post-COVID green spaces. Her leadership extends to directing UTS's Higher Degree Research Programs, shaping the next generation of urban planning scholars and practitioners.