Udita Mukherjee is a PhD candidate and Vokes Fellow in the Earth and Environmental Sciences department at Tulane University. She is a geologist interested in understanding how sea level has changed in the past, and the effect these changes have had on the sediments carried by rivers to the deep sea. For her research, she routinely thinks about the relationship between the land and the sea and the coastal wetlands in different parts of the world, including the coasts of Louisiana, during the last 20,000 years of our history. Studying about an issue that has implications for not just multiple natural and social science disciplines, but also actual human beings, living in these coastal areas, she hopes to add substantial knowledge towards a number of social justice movements, starting with climate justice. During her residency, she focused on finishing her PhD dissertation.

“I had a very productive and mentally calming stay at this residency. I finished the first draft of two chapters from my dissertation. The earlier plan was to work on my third chapter and the introduction chapter of my dissertation, but my plans for this semester was pushed back by Hurricane Ida and COVID. After a difficult semester (and year), marred by sickness, loss and natural calamities, this residency brought me the serenity and stillness to think through my research and work, which has given me multiple new ideas to pursue in the future.” – Udita Mukherjee

Headshot by Unmesha Roy Paladhi