Huda Shah joined Earthworks in August 2024 as a Research Fellow, bringing a background in environmental policy, international development, and public service.
Before joining Earthworks, Huda worked with the United Nations Capital Development Fund’s Global Fund for Coral Reefs, where she supported critical operations and stakeholder engagement to enhance the resilience of coastal reef ecosystems, communities, and economies from Latin America and the Caribbean to eastern Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. She consulted with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) Natural Resources and Environment Team, focusing on advising federal policies related to green building codes, including electrifying buildings and retrofitting old structures. She also contributed to policy recommendations through her research with the Climate Jobs Institute at Cornell, where she helped develop strategies for a just transition to a green economy across New York, Colorado, and California.
Huda worked as a Research Assistant with New American Leaders, supporting initiatives to empower immigrants and New Americans in public leadership. Huda also worked with Dr. Melinda Gurr on a project examining conflicts of interest, methodological errors, and questionable conclusions in qualitative research conducted on institutionalized children in the United States. Additionally, she contributed to educational development in rural Pakistani communities through her work with Nearpeer, helping design and implement courses to upskill marginalized populations.
Huda holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) with a concentration in Economic and Financial Policy from Cornell University, where she also served as Communications Chair for Cornell Women in Public Policy. She completed her undergraduate studies in Anthropology and Sociology at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).
When she’s not working on policy or research, Huda enjoys music, binge-watching shows, and exploring new restaurants.
Contact:
Email: hshah [at] earthworks [dot] org
Phone: (925) 257-3123
Location: New York City
