Bristol-Mumbai Planetary Health Challenge

The Bristol-Mumbai Planetary Health Challenge delivers, through interdisciplinary research and innovation partnership between our two cities, impactful solutions to shared planetary health challenges.

The Challenge has been made possible by generous philanthropic support from the Shanta Foundation.

The Shanta Professorial Chair, based in Bristol, will collaborate with a cohort of four Early Career Fellows and colleagues across the Mumbai research and innovation ecosystem on their chosen key planetary health theme.

The Shanta Professorial Chair and Challenge theme from 2026 to 2028

Dann Mitchell, Professor of Climate Science, has been appointed as the Shanta Professorial Chair from 2026 to 2028.
 
The Challenge theme for this period will be Extreme Weather, with a focus on the way that climate change affects human health and wellbeing in the natural and built environments of Mumbai and Bristol.
 
In their work together, the Shanta Professorial Chair, Early Career Fellows, and Mumbai partners will prioritise complementary research and implementation projects with an interdisciplinary approach and meaningful place-based impact.
 
The Challenge team will engage closely with industry and civic partners, alongside student and research communities in both cities. The Challenge brings with it the opportunity to fully leverage unique education, research and innovation spaces in Bristol’s Temple Quarter and Mumbai Enterprise Campuses. 
 
By bringing together Bristol’s research distinctiveness with Mumbai’s scale, energy and ingenuity, the Bristol-Mumbai Planetary Health Challenge embodies our deep spirit of partnership, strengthening further the ties between our cities and creating practical solutions that serve our cities, communities, and the wider world.