Liton Chakraborty is a post-doctoral Research Associate at the University of Waterloo. As a lead researcher on socioeconomic vulnerability analysis and flood risk assessments at the Partners for Action (P4A) ’s program, Liton contributed to several research initiatives, such as community-engaged inclusive resilience, flood vulnerability mapping, and developing innovative methodologies on climate change risk assessment emphasizing an equity-centred approach. Through his doctoral research initiatives, Liton has created a Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) for Canada to inform equity and socioeconomic variability at the census geography-based community level, highlighting factors representing the social construction of climate change risk. With a focus on assessing flood-related distributive (in)justices in Canada, Liton, through his doctoral research, has investigated whether and to what extent flood risk disproportionately affects socially vulnerable and equity-seeking groups. Liton’s research interests center on assessing social vulnerability, environmental and social inequities, and racial/ethnic disparities in exposure to climate change risks. His research helps identify Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+) factors in policy decisions on disaster and emergency management and supports developing equity tools for inclusive and community-engaged resiliency programs to reduce and negate the harmful impacts of climate-induced disasters. Liton’s research translates complex scientific methods to help communities at the local level through all-inclusive policies, programs, and initiatives. Liton published his research work in impactful, internationally recognized peer-reviewed journals, such as Environmental Research, Risk Analysis, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, and International Journal of Disaster Risk Science. National media, including CTV News, CBC Radio-Canada, National Observer, and APTN National News featured community-based flood risk stories based on Liton’s research findings, and the results were highlighted by the global knowledge-sharing platform for disaster risk reduction (PreventionWeb of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction) and Water Institute Research. For his exceptional contributions to the Canada-wide Flood Hazard Model, Liton received the Creativity and Innovation Award as part of the 2022 Departmental Awards and Recognition Ceremony of Public Safety Canada. Liton holds a Ph.D. in Geography and Environmental Management and an M.A. in Economics from the University of Waterloo, and an M.Sc. in Business and Economics from Uppsala University.
Recent Publications:
Chakraborty, L., Rus, H., Henstra, D., Thistlethwaite, J., Minano, A., & Scott, D. (2022). Exploring spatial heterogeneity and environmental injustices in exposure to flood hazards using geographically weighted regression. Environmental Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2022.112982.
Chakraborty, L., Thistlethwaite, J., Scott, D., Henstra, D., Minano, A., & Rus, H. (2022). Assessing social vulnerability and identifying spatial hotspots of flood risk to inform socially just flood management policy. Risk Analysis. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.13978.
Chakraborty, L., Thistlethwaite, J., Minano, A., Henstra, D., & Scott, D. (2021). Leveraging hazard, exposure, and social vulnerability data to assess flood risk to Indigenous communities in Canada. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13753-021-00383-1.
Chakraborty, L., Thistlethwaite, J., & Henstra, D. (2021). “Flood Vulnerability and Climate Change: Improving flood risk assessment by mapping socioeconomic vulnerability in a mid-sized Canadian city,” Canadian Climate Institute, 17 pp. https://climateinstitute.ca/publications/flood-vulnerability-and-climate-change/
Chakraborty, L., Rus, H., Henstra, D., Thistlethwaite, J., & Scott, D. (2020). A place-based socioeconomic status index: Measuring social vulnerability to flood hazards in the context of environmental justice. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 43, 101394. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IJDRR.2019.101394.