Research Institute for
Sustainability | at GFZ

Anjali Ramakrishnan Chordia

Fellow

© priv.

E-Mail

anjali [dot] ramakrishnan [dot] chordia [at] rifs-potsdam [dot] de

Dr. Anjali Ramakrishnan is an environmental economist and social scientist with nearly 15 years of experience across NGOs, think tanks, and academia. Her research examines energy and climate policy, including emissions pricing, assessments of voluntary carbon markets, and consumption behaviour in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), using empirical and econometric methods.

Dr. Ramakrishnan has been a Fellow at the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) since October 2026 and is a Science Officer at the Working Group III (Mitigation) Technical Support Unit (TSU) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). She coordinates the preparation and review of Working Group III report chapters and supports cross-working group tasks.

Before joining the IPCC, she was a Researcher at the Environment for Development (EfD) Initiative at the University of Gothenburg, where she led research on carbon markets and reviews of low-carbon policy instruments, and served as liaison for the collaborative programme Climate Policies for Development (CPfD). Earlier, she worked on rural energy access, fossil fuel subsidies, coal pricing in India, and India’s INDC policies at policy think tanks in New Delhi, including The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Technische Universität (TU) Berlin.

  • PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

  • Oct 26 - Science Officer, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Working Group III Technical Support Unit

  • Oct 26- Fellow, Research Institute for Sustainability at GFZ, Potsdam

  • 2021-26 Researcher, Environment for Development, Gothenburg, Sweden

  • 2016-17 Programme Associate, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), India

  • 2013-16 Research Associate, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), India

  • 2012-13 Research Associate, India Infrastructure Private Limited (IIPL), India

  • ACADEMIC VISITS

  • Jan–Jun 21 Visiting Researcher, Physical Resource Theory, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden

  • 2019 Visiting Researcher, Global Centre for Environment and Energy, Ahmedabad University, India

  • EDUCATION

  • 2023 Ph.D. at Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change, Berlin,Germany, Supervisor: Prof. Dr Felix Creutzig

  • Grade: Magna cum Laude

  • 2012 M.Sc. in Economics, TERI University, New Delhi, India

  • Grade: CGPA 7.4

  • 2010 B.A Economics, Delhi University, New Delhi, India

  • Grade: First Division

  • Household Energy Access
  • Behavioural Analysis
  • Consumption Choices
  • Emission Pricing and Carbon Markets
  • Climate Policy

Selected Publications prior to joining the RIFS

  • Creutzig, F., Wells, P., ... Ramakrishnan, A., Rau, H., Zimm, C. (2026) From wheels to systems: Characterizing automobility as technosphere. The Anthropocene Review, 20530196261472905. (https://doi.org/10.1177/20530196261472905)

  • Sterner, T., Ramakrishnan, A., Fischer, C., Steckel, J., & Lindberg, V. (2024) Emission pricing in developing countries (Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences). Elsevier. (https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-91013-2.00030-7)

  • Mohammadzadeh Valencia, F., Mohren, C., Ramakrishnan, A., Merchert, M., Minx, Jan., Steckel, Jan., npj (2024). Public support for carbon pricing policies and revenue recycling options: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the survey literature, Clim. Action 3, 74. (https://doi.org/10.1038/s44168-024-00153-x)

  • Creutzig, F., Goetzke, F., Ramakrishnan, A., Andrijevic, M., & Perkins, P (2023) Designing a virtuous cycle: Quality of governance, effective climate change mitigation, and just outcomes support each other. Global Environmental Change, 82, 102726. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2023.102726)

  • Ramakrishnan, A and Creutzig, F (2021) Status consciousness in energy consumption decisions: A systematic review of literature, Environment Research Letters (https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abf003)

  • Ramakrishnan, A, Kalkuhl, M, Ahmad, S, Creutzig, F (2020) Keeping up with the Patels: Conspicuous consumption drives the adoption of cars and appliances in India, Energy Research & Social Science (70) 10174. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2020.101742)

  • 2023-24 Adlerbertska Forskningsstiftelsen – Research funding
  • 2017-21 Doctoral Research Scholarship from DAAD
  • 2015 Scholarship for the Summer School on Energy Transitions in Contemporary and Emerging Societies, Durham University, United Kingdom
  • 2014 Pat on the Back Award for the evaluation study of Direct Cash Transfer for kerosene subsidies, TERI, India
  • 2012 National Eligibility Test (NET) for Lectureship by University Grants Commission (UGC), India