Doctor Raksha Pandya-Wood

Dr Raksha Pandya-Wood is an interdisciplinary researcher, project leader, and educator with over two decades of experience at the intersection of social sciences, public health, and climate communication. Trained in community development and global health, her work is grounded in participatory and co‑produced research approaches that bridge policy, practice, and theory to address systemic social and health inequalities. Her career spans the UK, Malaysia, and the wider Asia‑Pacific region, where she has collaborated extensively with grassroots organisations, policymakers, journalists, and international bodies including the World Health Organization and the United Nations.

Since September 2025, Raksha has held the role of Senior Lecturer in Public Health. She is currently based in Campbelltown, while also serving as an Adjunct Fellow at Monash University Malaysia, maintaining strong regional and international research partnerships. In these roles, she leads and supports multi‑country research initiatives that connect climate resilience, public health, and inclusive communication. Her portfolio includes capacity‑building programmes for journalists, policy analyses on gendered climate‑health impacts, and baseline studies on planetary health, all underpinned by commitments to epistemic justice and meaningful co‑production. Her work has attracted major competitive funding from the World Health Organization, the Asia Pacific Network, and the Malaysian Government’s Academy of Sciences, and she has published widely across climate, health, and development fields.

Raksha’s interdisciplinary expertise is reflected in a broad teaching portfolio spanning research methods, implementation science, environmental communication, and gendered health policy. She previously held senior roles at the UK’s National Institute for Health Research, where she led national initiatives on patient and public involvement and completed a PhD examining research impact through user engagement.

In addition to her academic leadership, Raksha serves on the Wellcome Trust’s Climate and Health Advisory Board and is a guest editor for a forthcoming special issue on co‑production in low‑ and middle‑income countries. Her work exemplifies scholarship committed to equity, resilience, and global relevance.