PE&RC in the Spotlight: Shreyas Gadge

I’m Shreyas Gadge, 2nd year PhD at the Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam (UvA). My research focuses on understanding social adaptation to water scarcity, particularly in cities with intermittent water supply, using interdisciplinary methods. I am originally from the tiger capital of India, the city of Nagpur and moved to the Netherlands over a year ago. I’m also a spoken word poet and love to dance and travel!

What are you passionate about in your research?
I’m passionate to understand how social inequalities are exacerbated by climate change and depleting resources aiming to uncover vulnerabilities in social systems. I am looking forward to developing interdisciplinary methods which, in addition to data driven modeling, involves engagement with local people and ultimately informing policies. I find this important since I grew up in a region where water supply cuts and power cuts were quite common.

What is a good book you’ve read recently?
Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime was one of the funniest autobiographical accounts I’ve read. The way he narrates stories of his childhood in South Africa during the apartheid era makes you giggle at an instance and the next instance you are wondering about the horrible state of society. It’s witty, fast-paced and real. I 100% recommend it!

What is the coolest place you’ve travelled to?
It has to be Kasol, a hamlet in the state of Himachal Pradesh, north of India. This town is situated in the Parvati Valley and is surrounded by a river, mountains, forests and even hot streams. In addition to nature, this place is a cultural hub, particularly recommended for indo-mediterranean cuisine and hippie parties. It is one of the few alternative towns in India, which makes it quite cool!

Aside from necessities, what is one thing you couldn’t go a day without?
A handkerchief! This is a habit my dad got me into as a kid and now it’s just natural for me to check for a handkerchief when I leave my house. It’s especially useful in the dutch weather because you might sneeze anytime or must wipe your bike seat dry.

If you could change one thing at your university/research institute, what would it be?
I would like to change the way departments are organized in IBED and maybe have more research groups with a lot of interactions instead because I feel the current organization is restrictive for an interdisciplinary scientist and there are a lot of those at IBED but there seems to be a disconnect.