Biography / Professional Profile
Vanshika Shah is an international relations and diplomacy professional whose work lies at the intersection of climate diplomacy, multilateral negotiations, and strategic communications. Her interests span transboundary cooperation, regional governance, and international negotiations, with a particular focus on strengthening collaboration between countries on shared environmental and development challenges. She currently serves as a Fellow at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Institute of Foreign Affairs, researching on advancing Indo-Nepal climate diplomacy and regional climate cooperation.
Previously, she worked as a Research Analyst in the Sustainable Food Systems team at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), where she led and contributed to projects that redefined agricultural productivity beyond conventional yield metrics, advocating for agroecological transitions through grassroots research and systems-based approaches. Prior to this, she worked at the Clingendael Institute in The Hague, contributing to projects on strengthening digital connectivity between the Asia-Pacific and Europe, as well as advancing green energy cooperation across ASEAN.
Beyond her policy and research work, Vanshika is the Co-founder of Nepathya Foundation, a Delhi-based, youth-led, non-profit organisation working to improve the dignity and economic security of informal worker families through income generation, financial inclusion, and educational continuity. She also served as a United States Embassy Youth Council Member (2024–25) and has mentored several youth-led initiatives on climate education, communication, and policy engagement.
Vanshika holds an MSc in International Relations and Diplomacy from Leiden University, the Netherlands, and a BA in Economics with a minor in International Relations from Ashoka University, India.
