Environmentalist, Researcher on sustainability and author, Seema started with a master’s in business administration and a career in the corporate sector. But moved to working with NGOs involved in conservation, mining, land and forest rights, and education of indigenous communities. Her shift to working in the urban context began after her second postgraduate degree, a master’s in development in 2014. 

What role does nature have to play in making cities more sustainable? How can I contribute to making the cities we live in more equitable? These are the questions that drive her current research interests. She enjoys exploring different aspects of urban sustainability along with students from the University and from other institutions as they bring with them interesting questions and lenses through which to explore cityscapes. She is especially interested in making research accessible to a wider audience. 

Her recent co-authored books, ​“Cities and Canopies: Trees in Indian Cities” and ​“So many leaves” are attempts in this direction. She is also interested in action research like understanding impacts of development projects on urban green cover, that can contribute even in a small way to bridging the divide between the binary of development and environment.