Nazifa Rafa

Nazifa Rafa is an interdisciplinary researcher with a strong commitment to addressing global challenges through innovative, equitable, and sustainable approaches. She is thought leader in the intersections of climate justice and humanitarian research, contributing actionable insights for policy and practice, and a solution-driven academic focused on pragmatic approaches that benefit vulnerable populations and ecosystems. She combines scientific rigor, policy relevance, and social equity to address complex, interrelated challenges in climate resilience, sustainability, and public health. Her work spans multiple disciplines, integrating environmental science, energy technology, social justice, and disaster risk management, often with a focus on marginalized and vulnerable populations.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

(i) Climate Change, Biodiversity Conservation, and Environmental Justice

This theme examines the socio-political dimensions of climate change mitigation and adaptation, and biodiversity conservation, with a focus on environmental justice and equitable responses to climate-induced hazards. It addresses issues such as loss and damage, forced migration, and sustainable adaptation strategies.

(ii) Sustainable Development in Vulnerable Communities

Focused on advancing equitable and sustainable development for marginalized and disaster-prone communities. This theme integrates energy and water security, environmental health, disaster risk reduction, and environmental justice to address systemic vulnerabilities.

(iii) Environmental Pollution, Sustainable Energy Production, and Emerging Technologies

This theme investigates the intersection of environmental pollution, low-carbon energy, and innovative technologies. It emphasizes the development of technology-driven solutions for pollution and climate change mitigation.

EDUCATION

University of Cambridge – Cambridge, United Kingdom Oct 2022 – Present

Ph.D., Department of Geography

Graduation (expected): September 2025

Scholarship(s): Lady Judy Moody-Stuart Studentship, Lucy Cavendish College: 100% scholarship for the university composition fee, maintenance, and costs related to immigration, amounting to approximately £135,000 for three years; Honorary Trinity-Henry Barlow Award, Trinity College: one-off stipend of £1,000

Dissertation: Working title: Living on the Edge: Disasters, Power, and Politics in the Rohingya Refugee Camps [Supervisor: Ayesha Siddiqi PhD, University Lecturer in Human Geography]

University of Cambridge – Cambridge, United Kingdom Oct 2021 – Jul 2022

M.Phil. in Environmental Policy, Department of Land Economy

Grade: Merit (72%)

Scholarship(s): Lady Judy Moody-Stuart Studentship, Lucy Cavendish College: 100% scholarship for the university composition fee, maintenance, and costs related to immigration, quarantining, and settling in for the duration of the study period, amounting to approximately £42,000

Dissertation: Control of Air Pollution by Brick Kilns in Bangladesh: Command-and-Control or Regulatory Capture in Disguise? [Supervisors: Professor Jorge Vinuales, Harold Samuel Professor of Law and Environmental Policy, & Dr. Aiora Zabala, Senior Fellow at Department of Land Economy and lecturer in Environmental Economics and Policy]

GRANTS, AWARDS, AND SCHOLARSHIPS

Vice Chancellor’s Social Impact PhD Award – University of Cambridge (2024).
STRENGTH Research Grant – International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) (2024): £2,500, or 100% support towards an independent research project.
University Fieldwork Fund – Department of Geography, University of Cambridge (2023): £5,428, or 100% support, towards PhD fieldwork.
Energy IRC Small Grants Scheme for Knowledge Exchange and Impact, Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) – Energy Interdisciplinary Research Center (IRC), University of Cambridge (2023): £1,100, or 100% support, towards an independent research project.
Andy Matsui Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement – Asian University for Women (2023): for emerging as the highest scorer across all majors in the undergraduate cohort graduating in 2021.
Honorary Trinity-Henry Barlow Award – Trinity College, University of Cambridge (2022): one time of award money of £1000 for an exemplary PhD application submitted to the Department of Geography at the University of Cambridge.
Lady Judy Moody-Stuart Studentship – Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge (2022): £135,000, or 100% scholarship for the university composition fee, maintenance, and costs related to immigration for PhD in Geography at the University of Cambridge (2022 - Present).
Lady Judy Moody-Stuart Studentship – Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge (2021): £42,000, or 100% scholarship for the university composition fee, maintenance, and costs related to immigration for MPhil in Environmental Policy at the University of Cambridge (2021-2022)

Selected publications

Kumar, R., Paukert, C., Ferreira Dos Santos, M. J., Gyawali, D., Kouame, A. A., Lalika, M., Minaverry, C. M., Oinonen, S., Rafa, N., Sandin, L., & Simatele, M. D. (2024). Chapter 5.2: Options for delivering sustainable approaches to water. In: Harrison, P. A., McElwee, P. D., and van Huysen, T. L. (eds.). Thematic Assessment of the Interlinkages among Biodiversity, Water, Food and Health (Nexus Assessment) of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. IPBES secretariat, Bonn, Germany. DOI: to be determined.
United Nations. Synergy Solutions for Climate and SDG Action: Bridging the Ambition Gap for the Future We Want. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) & United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Available online: https://sdgs.un.org/sites/default/files/2024-07/UN%20Synergy%20Solutions%20for%20Climate%20and%20SDG%20Action-3.pdf.
Gomez Echeverri, L., Bustamante, M., Jun, M., Rafa, N., Rovenskaya, E., Fujino, J., Suzman, E., Creutzig, F. & Oni, T. (2024). Seeking Synergy Solutions: Integrating Climate and SDG Knowledge and Data for Action. Expert Group on Climate and SDG Synergy. Available online: https://sdgs.un.org/basic-page/seeking-synergy-solutions-four-thematic-reports-55697.
Rafa, N. & Khalid, R. (2024). Modern methods of construction (MMC) for net-zero housing: Implications from the social sciences and humanities. UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC). Available online: https://ukerc.ac.uk/publications/modern-methods-of-construction-mmc-for-net-zero-housing-implications-from-the-social-sciences-and-humanities/. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.20749.96487.
Rafa, N., Khalid, R., & Uddin, S. M. N. (2024). Energy Access and Sustainable Development for Displaced Populations: Achieving energy justice in the Rohingya refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Energy Research & Social Science, 114, 103621. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2024.103621.
Rafa, N., Ahmed, B., Zohora, F., Bakya, J., Ahmed, S., Ahmed, S. F., Mofijur, M., Chowdhury, A. A., & Almomani, F. (2024). Microplastics as carriers of toxic pollutants: Source, transport, and toxicological effects. Environmental Pollution, 343, 123190. DOI: https://doi-org.ezp.lib.cam.ac.uk/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123190.
United Nations. (2023). Synergy Solutions for a World in Crisis: Tackling Climate and SDG Action Together. Report On Strengthening The Evidence Base First Edition 2023. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) & United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Available online: https://sdgs.un.org/synergy-solutions-world-crisis-tackling-climate-and-sdg-action-together
Chatterjee, S., Rafa, N., & Nandy, A. (2022). Welfare, Development, and Cost-efficiency: A Global Synthesis on Incentivizing Energy Efficiency Measures through Co-benefits. Energy Research & Social Science, 89, 102666. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2022.102666.
Rafa, N., To, T. T. V., Gupta, M., & Uddin, S. M. N. (2022). The Pursuit of Energy in Refugee Contexts: Discrimination, Displacement, and Humanitarian Energy Access for the Rohingya Refugee Displaced to Bangladesh. Energy Research & Social Science, 83, 102334. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.102334.
Rafa, N., Nuzhat, S., Uddin, S. M. N. U., Gupta, M., & Rakshit, R. (2021). Ecotourism as a Forest Conservation Tool: An NDVI Analysis of the Sitakunda Botanical Garden and Ecopark in Chattogram, Bangladesh. Sustainability, 13(21), 12190. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su132112190.
Rafa, N., Jubayer, A., & Uddin, S. M. N. (2021). Impact of Cyclone Amphan on the Water, Sanitation, Hygiene, and Health (WASH2) facilities of Coastal Bangladesh. Journal of Water, Sanitation & Hygiene for Development, 11(2), 304–313. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2021.170.
Rafa, N., Uddin, S. M. N., & Staddon, C.(2020). Exploring challenges in safe water availability and accessibility in preventing COVID-19 in refugee settlements. Water International, 45(7-8), 710-715. DOI: 10.1080/02508060.2020.1803018.