Nivedha Elango
PhD student
Department of agricultural economics
Economics and Management of Natural Resources
Ghent University
Coupure Links 653
9000 Ghent, Belgium
Bio
Bio
Nivedha Elango is a civil engineer specialising in hydrology, with a master’s degree in integrated water management. Her expertise focuses on integrated water management, flood risk assessment, ecosystem service valuation, and climate change adaptation. She combines analytical skills in GIS, Python, and statistical modelling with practical experience in water systems and environmental assessments.
She is currently pursuing an industrial PhD on integrating multi-hazard risk assessment with ecosystem service valuation through a network-based approach. Her research aims to link hydrological risks with ecosystem functioning and socio-economic systems, contributing to more informed and integrated decision-making in climate adaptation and water management.
Before joining Ghent University, she worked on ecosystem-based disaster management planning, climate adaptation, and flood-risk-related projects in both India and Belgium. Since 2021, she has contributed to applied water management projects, including real-time flood forecasting, flood mapping, hydrographic modelling, and climate resilience assessments in Flanders.
Since joining HAEDES in 2023, she has contributed to international and regional projects on climate resilience and nature-based solutions. Her work includes the development of climate-sensitive decision support systems, ecosystem service valuation using the NESEV tool (https://nesev.haedes.eu/) for infrastructure and restoration projects, and integrated studies on flood risk, drought resilience, and land-use interactions.
Research
In her doctoral research, Nivedha investigates how multi-hazard climate risks interact with ecosystem functioning and socio-economic systems through a network-based ecosystem service approach. The research combines spatial hazard mapping, vulnerability assessment, ecosystem service valuation, and climate adaptation scenario analysis.
Her work focuses on developing integrated approaches for climate adaptation and risk-informed decision-making by linking hydrological processes, ecosystem services, and societal resilience.
Education
- Master of Engineering – Integrated Water Resources Management Anna University, India
- Bachelor of Civil Engineering Anna University, India
Keywords
- Hydrology
- Integrated water management
- Climate adaptation
- Flood risk assessment
- Ecosystem services
- Nature-based solutions
- GIS and spatial analysis
- Social-ecological systems
- Disaster risk reduction
Publications / Research ID
- Elango, N. and Arul, C. (2022). Ecosystem-based disaster management planning for the east coast of India, Journal of Coastal Research, 39(1), 83–89. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208.
- Elango, N. and N.k.A. (2021). Climate Change Adaptation Strategies along India's East Coast in The Asian Review of Civil Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, January-June 2021.
Professional experience
- 2023 – present Water Systems Modeller, HAEDES, Belgium
- 2021 – 2022 Junior Project Engineer Innovation, Hydroscan, Belgium
- 2019 – 2021 Researcher, Anna University, India
- 2020 Research Intern, Global Water Partnership, Sweden
- 2017 – 2018 Assistant Professor, Anna University, India
