Diva Sinha

Diva Sinha is a PhD candidate in the Department of Development Studies at SOAS University of London. She joined SOAS in April 2017. She holds a BA and an MSc in Environment, Politics, and Development from SOAS. She has also obtained a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Certification from the University of California, Davis.

Her doctoral research, titled "From Glaciers to Gridlines: Hydropower, Land Subsidence, Deforestation, and Biodiversity Loss in Uttarakhand’s Mountain Valleys", critically investigates the consequences of large dam development on biodiversity in India’s northwestern Himalayan region. Hydropower is widely seen as a renewable and efficient energy source essential for reducing reliance on fossil fuels. With high conversion efficiency and low operational costs, it plays a crucial role in climate change mitigation and achieving global energy goals, Diva’s research critically investigates the impact of hydropower expansion in the Northwestern Indian Himalayas, particularly in Uttarakhand, focusing on three towns: Tehri, Karna Prayag, and Joshimath. It examines how unregulated dam construction in this seismically active and ecologically delicate region contributes to land subsidence, ecological degradation, biodiversity loss, and forced displacement.

Her research adopts an interdisciplinary approach, blending Political Ecology, Social-Ecological Systems (SES), and Disaster Governance frameworks. Drawing on mixed methods, GIS spatial data, interviews, community mapping, biodiversity monitoring, secondary literature and disaster governance analysis, the study examines the trade-offs of India's green energy agenda and explores possibilities for more localised and ecologically sound energy alternatives. The findings hope to inform both academic debates and policy frameworks on energy justice, high mountain sustainability, and disaster resilience.

Alongside her doctoral work, Diva currently serves as a Project Administrator for an AHRC-funded project led by Professor Catherine Hezser, collaborating with researchers at the University of Marburg, Germany. She provides project management, logistical coordination, organisation of conferences and workshops, and supports research outputs within this international team.

Previously, she worked as a Project Coordinator in the Research and Knowledge Exchange Department at SOAS, supporting over 30 projects including Dr. Mayur Suresh’s Leverhulme-funded project, Professor Jieyu Liu’s ERC-funded project, and 30 Research Culture Fund and Impact and Knowledge Exchange funded projects. Her responsibilities ranged from resarch grant administration and budget tracking to organising academic conferences and workshops. She also worked as a Research Assistant on Dr. Andrew Newsham’s Seedcorn-funded project on climate adaptation and livelihoods in the Global South, interned with wildlife conservation organisations that focused on the Bengal Tiger and Snow Leopard and served as a Research Analyst for Research Partnership.

• Hydropower Development in the Himalayas
• Renewable Energy
• Climate Change Adaptation in Mountain Regions
• Disaster Management and Governance
• Wildlife Conservation and Biodiversity Loss
• Marine and Ocean Conservation