Varnitha is presently working towards a PhD in Public Policy, Methodology, and Environmental Engineering in the Department of Political Science. Prior to her PhD., Varnitha was a Water Data Specialist in the World Bank’s Water Global Practice. Varnitha joined the Bank in July 2018 where she continues to provide analytical and advisory support and be a part of Country Climate and Development Reports. She also provided research assistance and completed survey and field work at the Indian School of Business, Council for Social Development, and AMR-Andhra Pradesh Academy of Rural Development. Varnitha's experiences have led her to conduct field work in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Ghana, and Myanmar.
At Mortenson Center, Varnitha works with Dr. Evan Thomas and Dr. Kat Demaree on ground water conservation in Western Colorado. She is particularly interested in water resource management, climate-change resilience in South Asia, data-driven solutions, and policy.
Outside of work, Varnitha enjoys painting (medium-acrylic and watercolor), cooking, hiking, running, and photography.
Education
- B.A (Hons) Economics and Mathematics, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, 2015
- M.S. Logic, Computation, and Methodology, Carnegie Mellon University, 2017
- P.G Diploma International Humanitarian Law, National Academy of Legal Studies and Research, India
Publications
- Kurli, Varnitha. "To Be (e) or Not To Be (e): Understanding the Economics of Voluntarism" The Massachusetts Undergraduate Journal of Economics (2016): 55.
- Kaur, Komal, Kurli, Varnitha, Andersson, Krister. "The challenge of governing complex forest ecosystems: Can a polycentric approach help?" Handbook of Institutions and Complexity
- Myanmar - Food Security and Agriculture Monitoring Brief (English). Washington, D.C. : World Bank Group.
https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099459407082213027/pdf/IDU09b2f3a9b08afd048970aebd0f24c727e0d65.pdf - An Invisible Water Crisis? New Data Application Maps Hotspots of Global Water Quality and Their Evolution between 1992-2010. https://blogs.worldbank.org/water/invisible-water-crisis-new-data-applic...