Dr. Nikita Lad, Post-doctoral researcher at George Mason University

Dr. Nikita Lad, completed her Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Policy from George Mason University. She specializes in sustainability science, program evaluation, social equity, and science policy. Her dissertation research focused on assessing sustainability in higher education and promoting sustainability behavior on campus, wherein she developed a sustainability assessment tool to evaluate university-wide initiatives. She is also an SDG Publishers Compact Fellow since its inception. Nikita is deeply committed to sound research and evidence-based policymaking, as demonstrated by her roles as a science policy fellow for the state of Virginia, where she provided valuable insights into funding for basic research, and as an Evaluation Consultant for a Global Sustainability Scholars Program. She is also instrumental in fostering science policy engagement among early-career scientists, serving as the Founder of the Science Policy Network at Mason and Onboarding Chair of the National Science Policy Network. Prior to her doctoral journey, Nikita accrued valuable experience in Regulatory Affairs, ensuring compliance with product regulations, and attained her M.S. in 2016. Outside academia, she cherishes moments with her 1-year-old and finds solace in the outdoors of Colorado.