Papiya Mazumdar

Profile

I joined the University of Leeds in February 2022 as Lecturer in Global Health.

With a PhD in Population Studies from the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), India, I have been actively involved in postgraduate-level teaching and research supervision of students from diverse, multi-disciplinary backgrounds across social, medical and basic sciences enrolled under three major postgraduate programmes, namely: 

• Master of Public Health (MPH) (2016-2018) at the Institute of Public Health, Kalyani, the West Bengal University of Health Sciences;
• Master of Sustainable Development practice (MA-SDP) (2011-2016) at the TERI Institute of Advanced Studies, New Delhi;
• Master of Population Studies (MPS) (Distance Learning) (2007-8), at the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai.

Responsibilities

• Deputy Director, Internationalization Team

Research interests

My research interest lies in areas of global health policy, primarily linking to the interface between climate change, environment and population health outcomes.

I am interested in cross-cutting assessments and implications of such nexus on health systems in LMIC contexts. Keen to learn underlying contextual dimensions on equity and of social exclusion and how it impacts on key processes and outcomes.

My research has primarily focussed on issues around environmental vulnerability and development consequences among one of the world’s poorest populations living in the low-lying coastal regions of South Asia. I have been studying how fragile livelihoods have responded to the continuous risks posed by both climate change as well as extreme weather events such as tropical cyclones, and the resultant impacts on population health.

Applying mixed-method research approaches, I have investigated how the combination of geographical and public infrastructural constraints in the face of adverse environmental factors led to higher health risks for the vulnerable population in the region, and the dynamic coping strategies they resort to in response.

I have worked with policymakers and administrators across several Indian provinces to help them develop State-level Adaptation Plans for Climate Change along the lines of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UN-FCCC). At a more micro-level, I have collaborated with municipal officials to develop public health plans for climatic risk mitigation among low-income localities in densely-populated urban contexts.

Qualifications

• BA (Geography), MA (Geography)
• Master of Population Studies (MPS)
• Doctor of Philosophy

Professional memberships

• International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP)
• Indian Association for the Study of Population (IASP)
• Population Environment Research Network (PERN)