Professor Ronita Bardhan
- Professor of Sustainable Built Environment & Health
- Honorary Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK.
- Director, Cambridge Sustainable Design Group
- Visiting Professor - Department of Computer Science and Technology
- Director of Studies & Fellow in Architecture, Selwyn College
Contact
Location
- James Dyson building, Room: JD1-17, Trumpington Street, Cambridge , CB2 1QA
About
Short Bio:
Ronita Bardhan is Professor of Sustainable Built Environment and Health at the University of Cambridge, where she leads the Cambridge Sustainable Design Group in the Department of Architecture. She has served as Deputy Head of Department between 2023-2025 . She is an Honorary Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK.
Her research is at the intersection of the built environment, climate change, and health, positioning buildings and neighbourhoods as critical levers for precision population health. She advances data driven precision prevention through context specific and gender sensitive built environment interventions that enable anticipatory and preventative action at scale, particularly in climate vulnerable settings. Her pioneering work on gender inclusive climate adaptation is shaping policy across the Global South. She is ranked among the top 2 percent of scientists globally and was recognised as a Top 50 Women in Engineering Finalist in the United Kingdom in 2024. In 2025 she was ranked among top 30 scientist in Sustaianble Design globally.
Research
Bardhan has developed pioneer algorithm for identifying decarbonisation potential and indoor overheating in UK buildings, climate heat stress & gender equity . Bardhan's work on climate, public health and social housing (Slum Rehabilitation housing in India, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa and Brazil) has informed policymakers and has received wide coverage in global news media like BBC, TIME, CNN, CBC, Wahington Post etc.
Bardhan holds associate and visiting positions by courtesy at Cambridge Public Health; Cambridge Infectious Disease , Department of Computer Science and Technology. Ronita is part of AI for Environmental Risk, Cambridge Public Health, Centre for Science and Policy, Cambridge Zero , Cambridge Global Challenges and Sustainability Leadership for Built Environment (IDBE). She advises multiple international agencies including the World Bank, ADB on affordable housing, health & climate extreme events.
She is Director of Studies and Fellow in Architecture at Selwyn College in Cambridge. Bardhan has served as Deputy Head of Department (2023-2025), Director of Postgraduate Studies (2023-2025), Chair the Research Ethics Committee (2023-2025), & Chair of EDI committee (2021-2023) at the Department of Architecture. She was member of the Cambridge Environmental Sustainability Strategy Committee (2023-2026) at the University. She is strongly committed to and is an ardent advocate of the shared vision of equality, diversity, inclusion. She believes that everyone benefits from strength in difference and that diversity is instrumental to success.