Hello, I’m Sowdamini. I am a PhD candidate at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania. My research focuses on the environmental impacts of aquaculture, with a particular emphasis on nutrient fluxes, feed stoichiometry, and their effects on marine food webs.

I use a combination of ecological modelling, experiments, and systems-level approaches to explore sustainability trade-offs in aquatic food production from local to global scales. I am involved in the Fisheries and Marine Ecosystem Model Intercomparison Project (FishMIP) and currently working on integrating aquaculture-related pressures into the GLOBIOM model to better understand global food system dynamics.

A central question guides my research: What does sustainability in food systems truly mean?I am interested in examining how sustainability metrics are constructed and applied, and how they can often misrepresent ecological and social realities. My goal is to improve how we evaluate sustainability by accounting for context, equity, and global diversity.

My motivation comes from growing up in the global South, where I saw how dominant narratives in sustainability science often overlook local knowledge and lived experience. This has shaped my commitment to interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research, and to advocating for the inclusion of diverse, non-western knowledge systems in environmental governance.

Alongside my marine science work, I am increasingly interested in the human dimensions of food sustainability, particularly the intersections of ecology, nutrition, and anthropology. I explore how social, cultural, and dietary practices influence sustainable food systems and how integrating these perspectives can help build equitable, resilient solutions for people and the planet.

I am open to collaboration and can be contacted via email or any of my social channels.