Dr. Susmita Mitra is an economist and interdisciplinary researcher at the Council for Social Development (CSD), New Delhi. Her academic and professional journey reflects a sustained commitment to environmental sustainability, climate resilience, and inclusive development. She holds a PhD in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), with a specialization in climate change mitigation and emissions trading systems. Since completing her doctoral research, she has expanded her focus to encompass climate change vulnerability, adaptation, and resilience—particularly in the context of smallholder farmers, water use, and disaster-prone regions.
At CSD, Dr. Mitra currently leads environment-centric projects that blend research, knowledge management, and participatory learning. She is the Project Director for the Knowledge Management and Communication initiative under the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) in the Central Semi-Arid and Indian Coastal Region Landscapes, implemented in collaboration with TERI, UNDP, and MoEFCC. She also serves as Principal Investigator of an ICSSR-funded study using Agent-Based Modelling to explore adoption of water-saving technologies by farmers in semi-arid northern India.
Earlier, she led climate change vulnerability mapping in Eastern Uttar Pradesh (ChildFund India) and conducted a study on the implications of groundwater salinity for farming communities in North India. Her project on climate change and rice cultivation in West Bengal explored linkages between agrarian distress and environmental risk. As Principal Investigator, she also contributed to a nationwide documentation of successful water conservation under MGNREGS (NIRDPR), and has worked on climate education and SDG awareness through training manuals supported by KAS.
Dr. Mitra has authored over 30 publications, including articles in Weather, Climate and Society, GeoJournal, and Social Change, as well as chapters in volumes published by Routledge, Springer, and World Scientific. She is the co-editor of Vision of Education in India (Routledge) and served as Book Review Editor for Social Change (SAGE) between 2022 and 2025.
Her research interests also extend to inclusive education, a field she has actively engaged with through projects on out-of-school children, rationalisation of schools, and the educational challenges of marginalized communities. Her work on education has been widely cited and used by advocacy networks and policymakers.
In addition to her research, Dr. Mitra mentors postgraduate students and interns, delivers training in mixed-method research and participatory approaches, and contributes to curriculum development—most notably for IGNOU’s course on Sustainable Development. She is a Life Member of the Indian Society for Ecological Economics (INSEE) and regularly presents her work at national and international forums.
Dr. Mitra brings a systems-thinking lens to her research and advocacy, with a focus on bridging global environmental goals with local knowledge and community-based resilience strategies.