Tejal Kanitkar
My research interests lie in the areas of energy, development, and climate policy. I have worked on trying to integrate perspectives from the natural sciences, engineering, and the social sciences to understand the interconnected aspects of energy production and access, scientific and technological advancement in this sector, and policy shifts and instruments, in terms of their importance for ensuring the development and economic wellbeing of people, especially in the era of acute environmental crises such as climate change.I will be offering a course on Energy Modeling (3 credits) in the upcoming semester though.
Professional Experience
Associate Professor 14 June 2019 onwards
Energy Environment Program, School of Natural Sciences and Engineering, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru
Assistant Professor September 2011 – May 2019
Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. I was responsible for teaching in the Master’s Program offered by the Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Studies as well as teaching courses on energy and climate change in programs offered by other schools in the Institute.
Chairperson June 2012- May 2019
Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, I was the Chairperson of the Centre since its inception in 2012 and have contributed to the foundational work that the Centre has done in building and taking forward an inter-disciplinary perspective on climate change and sustainable development. As the chairperson, I have been responsible for taking forward the research agenda for the Centre as well as streamlining and implementing the teaching program that is aligned with the perspectives emerging from the collective research of faculty associated with the Centre.
Program Manager June 2009 – August 2011
Centre for Science Technology and Society, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai
Research Associate September 2006 – January 2009
Prayas Energy Group, Pune
Research Assistant September 2004 – May 2006
Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
Qualification
Ph.D., Department of Energy Science and Engineering November 2016, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India (External Candidate)
Thesis Title: “An Integrated Modelling Framework for Energy, Economy, and Emissions in India”
Master of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering July 2006, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
Thesis Title: “Reliability Assessment of Distributed Generation Systems”
Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) in Mechanical Engineering May 2004, University of Mumbai, Mumbai, India
Certified Energy Auditor October 2007
Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power, Government of India
Experience in Academic Course Development and Teaching
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Co-developed a Master’s Program in Climate Change and Sustainability Studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences
The M.A/M.Sc. Program in Climate Change and Sustainability Studies was launched in 2012. It is a unique program designed to equip students to understand and address the intertwined challenges of environmental protection and development in an inter-disciplinary manner. The particular focus is climate change.
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Developed a Master’s Program, Post-Graduate Diploma Program and Certificate Course in Climate Change and Sustainability Studies for the BRICS University, In 2017
I was responsible for developing a similar program but in three different formats, to be offered as part of the BRICS University initiative of the Government of India. A two year graduate degree program, a one year post-graduate diploma program, and a 1 month certificate course, all oriented towards national and international students from BRICS countries was developed.
The Challenge of Climate Change and the Need for a Just Transition (2018), TUED, Kochi, Kerala
India and the Paris Agreement: Concerns and a Possible Way Forward (2018), TIFR, Mumbai
Energy in the Urban Environment (2018), K.J. Somaiya, Mumbai
The Politics and Economics of Climate Change (2018), SIES, Mumbai
The Science and Politics of Climate Change (2018), Manthan Samvad, Hyderabad
Energy Options in the Era of Climate Change (2017), University of Mumbai, Mumbai
Perspectives on Sustainable Development (2017), CLL, Mumbai
The Paris Agreement: How did we get here and what is it about? (2017), IIT Bombay, Mumbai
Challenges of the Energy Transition Under Carbon Constraints (2016), Peoples Forum on BRICS, Goa
Implications of the Paris Agreement for India (2016), Azim Premji University, Bangalore
Fair and Equitable Distribution of the Global Carbon Budget (2016), Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, GoI, New Delhi
Meeting Equity in Paris – Is it Possible? (2015), Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi
Equity, the Global Commons and the Paris Agreement (2015), Conference on Cities in the Global South, Mumbai
Climate Justice and Sustainable Cities (2015), Civil Society Seminar on Sustainable Cities
Climate Change Mitigation: Defining the problem (2014), AL College, Mumbai
How much Carbon Space do we have? (2013), Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology, Chennai
Operationalising Equity and Sustainability in the Era of Climate Change (2012), SNDT, Mumbai
Is Gender-Just Climate Action Possible Without Equity? Appeared on 26 December 2018 in Newsclick
COP24: Developed Nations Continue to Dictate Terms of Global Climate Action. Appeared on 16 December 2018 in Newsclick
The Paris Agreement, COP-23, and Equity Going Forward. Appeared on 7 December 2017 in Newsclick
Mike Pence: America's GDP Growth Trumps Climate Needs. Appeared on 24 June 2017 in Newsclick
WTO: Trade Trumps a Sustainable World. Appeared on 29 February 2016 in Newsclick
The Habit of Scientific Temper. Appeared on 7 January 2018 in The Asian Age
A Breakdown of India’s National Energy Policy, Appeared on 22 January 2018 in Newsclick
Scientific Temper Teaches Questioning, Appeared on 1 February 2018 in National Herald