Deepitika Chand

Deepitika is a PhD Candidate at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UNSW, based at the Water Research Laboratory (WRL), undertaking her doctoral research under Project Halo. Originally from the beautiful islands of Fiji, her research focuses on modelling high-value blue carbon finance mechanisms to support long-term sustainability and climate resilience in Pacific Island nations, using a systems dynamics approach.

She brings over eight years of experience working across climate change mitigation, greenhouse gas inventory systems, and climate policy in the Pacific region. Her professional work has spanned government ministries, international climate initiatives, and regional technical partnerships, where she has contributed to mitigation planning, transparency frameworks, and climate finance readiness in Small Island Developing States.

Deepitika holds a Master of Science in Water Management and Governance from IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, and a Master of Science in Chemistry, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry from the University of the South Pacific. Her academic and professional work integrates climate science, finance, and the water-energy-food nexus to support evidence-based, systems-level solutions for resilient coastal and marine ecosystems.

Supervisors: Professor William Glamore and Associate Professor Andrew Dansie