Vandana holds a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, followed by a Master's in Construction Technology and Management from IIT Madras, and she uses her 15 years of engineering education and experience to build climate resilient communities . Her Doctoral Dissertation from IIT Delhi is in the area of durability of cement based materials. At the Community Design Agency, Vandana works with architects and designers to build well engineered and safe homes while addressing issues of social, cultural and economic marginalization of some of the world’s most vulnerable populations. She works towards providing spatial equity and access to engineering and technology services, to address larger systemic issues such as gender, climate vulnerability, livelihoods insecurity and identity. This work is creating new benchmarks for housing for low income communities. As a materials researcher, Vandana also works on developing durable and energy efficient construction materials to support the construction of better buildings.