Anushka Kharel is a rising junior at Mount Holyoke College, pursuing a double major in Economics and Data Science. Her academic interests lie at the intersection of environmental and developmental economics, where she is passionate about using data-driven research to inform equitable and sustainable policy solutions.
Anushka is currently working as a Research Assistant to Dr. Marta Vicarelli on the NSF-funded project Recovery, Renewal and Resilience in a Post-Pandemic World, which explores sustainable and inclusive economic development in coastal communities. She is also contributing to Prof. Vicarelli’s research on Community Choice Energy (CCE) programs in Massachusetts.
Anushka is especially drawn to exploring how economic systems can address environmental challenges and promote inclusive development across diverse communities.
Uttara Prakash is a Junior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, majoring in Managerial Economics (Honors) with minors in Business and Information Technology.
She is a recipient of the CJLS RISE Into Research Summer Research Fellowship (2025). As part of this program Uttara is working as a Research Assistant to Dr. Marta Vicarelli on the NSF-funded project Recovery, Renewal and Resilience in a Post-Pandemic World, which explores sustainable and inclusive economic development in coastal communities.
Uttara is excited to contribute to research that aligns with her interests in sustainability, economic policy, and international development. She is especially inspired by Dr. Vicarelli’s interdisciplinary approach to using economics as a tool for social and environmental resilience, and sees this globally collaborative project as an invaluable opportunity to learn and grow.
Marina Bottomley is a third year Honors student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, majoring in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, with a minor in Environmental Science. Her academic and research interests lie at the intersection of environmental health, climate policy, and economics, particularly how data analysis can advance policy and climate goals.
This past summer, Marina worked as a Research Assistant at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health under Professor Francesca Dominici, where she contributed to a project analyzing the climate co-benefits of air quality regulations.
Marina is also interested in contributing to research focused on climate adaptation and the transition to sustainable energy systems. She looks forward to working with Dr. Vicarelli to support the UN Winter School this year while learning more about nature based solutions from international experts.
Nathaniel Rooney is a second-year student at UMass Amherst’s Commonwealth Honors College. He is pursuing a dual degree in Mathematics and Economics with a minor in Political Science.
He has previously contributed to research on energy inequality in Chicago as part of an Economics Undergraduate Research Assistantship under Prof. Michael Ash. As part of the “Color of Wealth: Chicago” study, Nathaniel used conditional inference trees to assess which attributes are most deterministic of ownership and usage of certain energy transition technologies.
Nathaniel is currently contributing to Prof. Marta Vicarelli’s research on Community Choice Energy (CCE) programs in Massachusetts. He is excited to research solutions to climate change that simultaneously decrease inequality.
Sophiya Iftikhar is a third-year Commonwealth Honors student at UMass Amherst, pursuing a degree in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics (ENRE) with a minor in IT. Her academic and research interests center on nature-based solutions, with a particular focus on agricultural resilience and climate adaptation policy.
This past summer she conducted research through the Stockbridge School of Agriculture in collaboration with UMass Extension, examining the economic-effectiveness of cost-share programs for integrated pest management in regional apple orchards.
Expanding on her previous research and interests, Sophiya seeks to understand how economic incentives and governance structures shape the adoption of nature-based solutions across different contexts, and looks forwards to gaining interdisciplinary insight into climate governance and policy implementation through the United Nations Winter School.
Hailey Elson is a second year Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences – Geosciences Master student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research, under the supervision of Dr. Julie Brigham-Grette, is a part of a 1 year place-based project called “Sharing out! Ways of Knowing Climate Change and future change along the Yukon River, Alaska”. This research project is in sub-Arctic Alaska along the Yukon River, working in the indigenous village, Nulato, and it seeks to address environmental changes and cultural challenges. This research aims to weave Indigenous knowledge with Western science to examine climate change, adaptation, food sovereignty, and the protection of cultural landscapes harnessing intergenerational learning. Hailey’s specific research is to filter the data gathering in the village through an Arctic Research lens and solely focuses on the environmental changes discussed in the village by creating a three-part digital storytelling archive organized around Land, Water, and Ice. This archive integrates satellite imagery, oral histories, memory mapping, historical photographs, and geolocated audio to produce a tribally owned record of long-term environmental and landscape change.
She is also interested in pursuing international environmental diplomacy and climate resilience, with a growing focus on how scientific knowledge is translated into policy and diplomatic action. Following her master’s, she hopes to shift her focus toward the intersection of science policy and global decision-making, particularly in the context of international diplomatic, environmental policy, and climate reliance. She is drawn to roles that integrate law, policy, and science to support evidence-based, equitable solutions within international institutions. Broadly, she seeks to bridge research and governance, ensuring that climate science informs policy frameworks, negotiations, and implementation at global scales. She is supporting the Sustainable Solutions Winter School under the supervision of Dr. Vicarelli.