Nikhitha is a Programme Associate with The Council’s Sustainable Food Systems team, where she develops pathways for India’s agri-food transformation. She also co-leads The Council’s research on building a macroeconomic, livelihoods-first case for the restoration, conservation and nature-based solutions. She’s persistent about mainstreaming biodiversity outcomes into agri-food systems thinking in India.

Before joining The Council, Nikhitha co-led research at the intersection of biodiversity, land- use and livelihoods at IORA Ecological Solutions and Ashoka Trust For Research In Ecology And The Environment (ATREE). She brings extensive experience in designing financial instruments for realising the value of nature’s contribution to people.

As an SBI Youth for India Fellow (2020-21) with Seva Mandir in the remote villages of Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan, she worked on institutionalising a community-driven riverine ecosystem restoration programme and local waste management solutions.

Nikhitha holds a Master's in Public Policy (International Relations) and a Bachelor's in Electronics & Communication Engineering. An aspirational naturalist, she dreams of living among the rainforests and reptiles of Agumbe and channels her storytelling passion into writing for the stage.