Ramit Debnath & Ronita Bardhan

Dr Ramit Debnath is the inaugural Cambridge Zero Fellow at the University of Cambridge. He is also a visiting faculty associate in Computational Social Science at Caltech, and a sustainability fellow at Churchill College, University of Cambridge. Ramit works at the intersection of data science and public policy to support climate action. Primarily focussing on developing novel approaches to natural language processing, machine learning, AI and qualitative analysis to enable a people-centric and just net-zero transition. In addition, he is interested in exploring how the public, industry and policymakers make decisions for energy and climate justice. At the same time, developing design-driven solutions to counter misinformation and distributive injustices. He is currently co-leading a work package with UNEP on developing a decision-making system for sustainability in the built environment. He has previously worked with the International Energy Agency, Stanford University and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. Ramit has a background in electrical engineering and public policy, an MPhil and PhD from Cambridge as a Commonwealth and Gates Scholar. He is the recipient of the 2022 Enrichment Award from the Alan Turing Institute, UK. In Cambridge, he has affiliations with multiple research units like the Energy Policy Research Group (Judge Business School), Centre for Natural Materials Innovation (Architecture), Centre for Climate Repair (Engineering), Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab (Psychology) and the Bennett Institute of Public Policy (POLIS) as a Research Associate. Ramit has received over £400,000 in research grants and prestigious fellowships. And published in over 30 peer-reviewed journals and conferences Dr Ronita Bardhan is an architectural engineer and urban studies educator, with a PhD in urban engineering. She believes that data-driven intelligence of built environments can effectively address sustainability goals and policies. Her research is in the niche sector of the sustainable built environment to inform health and energy decisions in the changing climate and low-income communities. Bardhan uses data-driven methods that couples architectural engineering, AI and machine learning with social sciences to provided built environment solutions for health in resources constraint societies. Her tractable research informs demand-side design solutions using digital tools which positively affects well-being, energy security, and gender equality while entailing fewer environmental risks. Bardhan works in Slum Rehabilitation (social) housing (in India, Indonesia, Ethiopia, South Africa and Brazil). Her impactful work has received traction from policymakers and has received wide coverage in the news media. Ronita is part of AI for Environmental Risk, Cambridge Public Health, Centre for Science and Policy, Cambridge Zero , Cambridge Global Challenges and Sustainability Leadership for Built Environment (IDBE). She is Director of MPhil in Architecture and Urban Studies (MAUS) and leads the Sustainable Design Group at the Martin Centre: Sustainable buildings and cities, Department of Architecture. Dr Bardhan is Director of Studies and Fellow in Architecture at Selwyn College in Cambridge. Bardhan Chairs the Equality Diversity Inclusivity Committee at the Department of Architecture and History of Arts and is strongly committed to and is an ardent advocate of the shared vision of equality, diversity, inclusion, and belonging in all spheres of her research and teaching. She believes that everyone benefits from strength in difference and that diversity is instrumental to success.