Biography

Dr. Nishanta Sharma is a quantitative researcher at HITAP Thailand, where he leads research at the intersection of climate, environment, and health systems. He is Principal Investigator on studies examining the impact of climate change on healthcare utilization and health systems, the climate–health–demographic nexus, the economic implications of the fossil fuel to renewable energy transition using CGE and integrated assessment modelling, the health and economic consequences of microplastic exposure, and low-value care in the context of appendicitis surgery during COVID-19. He also serves as Co-Principal Investigator on an indoor air quality assessment of official buildings in Thailand and on CarbonQuest, a gaming application that helps individuals understand their own carbon footprint. Alongside this work, he secures multi-source research funding, including from Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI) and the Wellcome Trust, designs and delivers research methods and statistics training, and builds domestic and international partnerships on carbon, climate-health research, and policy integration. He sits on the advisory board of a climate-sensitive infectious disease network.

Dr. Sharma holds a PhD in Development and Sustainability from the Asian Institute of Technology, with a dissertation on identifying hazards and building resilience for sustainable urban tourism in Pokhara, Nepal, and an MSc in Population, Gender and Development. At AIT he taught quantitative research methods to MSc and PhD students and supported curriculum development in urban development and sustainability. He has also contributed to regional policy through UN ESCAP’s Social Development Division, including the Beijing+30 synthesis and the Seventh Asian and Pacific Population Conference.