Harshitha Sai Viswanathan is a Ph.D. student in Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island, where she is eager to explore how ocean and coastal governance can better respond to the challenges of climate change. She is especially interested in adaptive governance, climate adaptation, equity, and justice in marine and coastal systems, and how policies can meaningfully integrate diverse knowledge systems — from traditional ecological knowledge to community resilience practices — to create more just and sustainable futures.

Her journey across the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and the United States has shaped her perspective on how governance must bridge cultures, geographies, and ways of knowing. Growing up in the UAE, her passion for the ocean began as a diver assisting with marine conservation research in Abu Dhabi. Since then, she has carried that sense of stewardship into projects that connect policy, science, and people. At Ross Strategic, she supported projects on scenario planning for the Puget Sound Partnership, flood mitigation and aquatic species restoration in the Chehalis Basin, voluntary clean water guidance for agriculture, climate finance strategy with the Climate Investment Funds, and international fisheries governance with the Pew Charitable Trusts. She also served as a Washington Sea Grant Hershman Fellow with the Northwest Seaport Alliance, where she developed a vulnerability assessment and resilience framework for seaports. Internationally, she has worked with the Convention on Biological Diversity in India to promote equitable fisheries management, contributed to marine conservation with the Abu Dhabi Environmental Agency, and conducted research on sustainable tourism and marine protected areas in the UAE.

Harshitha holds a Master of Marine Affairs and a certificate in International Development Policy and Management from the University of Washington, and a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Cell Biology (with a minor in Marine Science) from UC San Diego. She thrives in interdisciplinary spaces that connect governance, community voices, and environmental justice, and she is excited to continue building these connections through her doctoral research.

Outside of research, Harshitha enjoys reading, dance, racket sports, scuba diving, visiting museums, and exploring new places — always looking for the intersections of culture, creativity, and the sea.