Vineetha Nalla is pursuing her PhD in Planning from the University of Toronto. Her doctoral research examines how marginalized communities in India’s cities navigate the intersection of systemic inequalities, environmental injustices and urban flooding. By understanding these lived experiences, she aims to identify pathways for environmentally just planning and disaster management practices globally.
Originally from Hyderabad, India, Vineetha is fluent in Telugu, English, and Hindi. She holds an MSc in Building and Urban Design in Development from the University College London as a Commonwealth Scholarship awardee and a Bachelor degree in Architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal.
Prior to her doctoral studies, Vineetha worked as a researcher at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS), collaborating with communities, government agencies, and civil society organizations on disaster risk reduction and urban infrastructure services. Her doctoral research, supervised by Professors Nidhi Subramanyam and Rajyashree Narayanareddy, builds on this experience to bridge theory and practice in addressing disaster risks. She is committed to creating accessible research outputs for at-risk communities and policy practitioners, and developing graduate curricula that integrate disaster risk and urban planning, supported by the foundation’s mentorship and peer network. Outside academia, she enjoys playing badminton and cycling.
