Prathijna Poonacha Kodira

Prathijna Poonacha Kodira is a researcher and practitioner who works on climate change adaptation, focusing broadly on how social and environmental systems respond to impacts of climate change, especially in urban and peri-urban geographies. Specifically, her work looks at livelihood transitions, nature-based solutions as adaptation, and the intersection of climate change and the built environment. Prathijna is experienced in enabling and engaging in multi-stakeholder processes for dialogue and decision-making using approaches such as Transformative Scenario Planning and Appreciative Inquiry. In the process, she is interested in unpacking the complexity of participatory decision-making, especially in the urban context.

At IIHS, Prathijna has worked on several large multi-country, multi-partner projects, including the IDRC/FCDO-funded Adaptation at Scale in Semi-arid Regions (ASSAR) (2014–18), the British Academy-funded Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture as Green Infrastructure (2019–22), GIZ and Resilience First-funded Summary for Urban Policymakers (2022), and the AfD-funded Greening Urban Food Systems (2023–24). Additionally, Prathijna has also been part of the Director’s Office at IIHS since 2020, working closely with the Director, and contributing to strategic institution building processes and activities.