Vaibhav Sonone

After spending more than eight years with indigenous tribal communities in the central Indian states, Vaibhav Sonone closely observed how policy-level implications and changes in the development discourse are impacting the environment and livelihood of tribal communities.  

He said: “To address them I required rigorous academic engagement offering a global perspective of these issues and potential solutions, and a pedagogy stimulating critical reasoning and analytical skills.” 

Why Leeds? 

After receiving an impressive 18 offers from UK universities, Vaibhav selected Leeds as his place of study and his new home. 

"I chose Leeds because it has interdisciplinary research institutions such as the Sustainability Research Institute, Priestley Centre for Climate Futures, and Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy,” he said. 

“Secondly, I found that many faculty members and I have similar research interests. Also, they are not strict with one discipline; they have multidisciplinary research and teaching experience.” 

Getting stuck in 

The MSc in Environment and Development covers themes from global inequality to climate finance to water modelling and research methods, offering a broad perspective on the course topic and the opportunity to grow your academic knowledge. 

These modules inspired Vaibhav to think about the course’s contribution to our daily lives and to personally explore environmental policies outside of the classroom context. 

The course takes an interdisciplinary approach to teaching which allowed Vaibhav to share classes with students from other faculties.  

He appreciated the opportunity to connect with his peers, engage in in-depth discussions and develop his own perspectives.  

Through these relationships, he’s gained a clear understanding of the climate from global development, policy, health, international relations, political, social and cultural perspectives – this well-rounded viewpoint will be invaluable as he progresses in his career.  

A new way of learning 

The faculty prides itself on offering varied teaching methods to students, something Vaibhav enjoyed. He was previously used to learning through lectures and found the transition to seminar-based learning enjoyable. 

He said: “When I joined my first seminar it was a great experience. A group of 10-12 students led the two-hour class with the support of the tutor. It is the best platform for people like me to share our grassroots experiences and connect with academia. Sometimes practitioners also joined our class to share their real-life experiences. This was a great part for me, where I was able to review my understanding of academic concepts and theories with them.” 

Learning also extended outside the classroom as Vaibhav participated in activities organised by the School of Earth and Environment such as the Hebden Bridge trip. He also participated in events and competitions organised for sustainability purposes, including the Universities Sustainable Commute Month. 

Exciting opportunities 

Vaibhav also attended the ‘Higher Education and Climate Crisis’ conference, organised by the Association of Commonwealth Universities, where he participated in a debate on indigenous knowledge and climate.  

Talking about his experience, he said: “I used my classroom discussion points there and many people appreciated those thoughts to connect indigenous knowledge with modern technology for effective climate adaptation. Along with this, I attended the Sustainability Research Conference at the University. It helped me to build more understanding in the field of sustainability.” 

He also contested the election for the NUS-UK delegation, which he won, representing Leeds University Union at the national level. 

Future ambitions 

Setting his sights on the future, Vaibhav’s larger goal is to work with the tribal communities of central Indian states in generating sustainable livelihoods. 

He said: “I mean to integrate and implement livelihood-related activities based on the Department for International Development (DFID) Livelihood Framework and create an impact on scale. Immense potential lies in enhancing incomes by designing scientific, holistic strategic plans centered around community participation.  

“I trust that my knowledge and experiences after studying at the University of Leeds will help marginalised communities to achieve the desired change in the effective use of natural resources and generate sustainable livelihood through empowering women and their participation. 

I trust that my knowledge and experiences after studying at the University of Leeds will help marginalised communities to achieve the desired change in the effective use of natural resources and generate sustainable livelihood through empowering women and their participation.

Skills development   

Vaibhav said the course has helped develop his knowledge and competencies around the core environmental thematic areas such as Geographical Information Systems (GIS), research methods, environmental policies, and evidence-based policy framing.  

For those looking to pursue a similar career in the environment, Vaibhav believes the course's interdisciplinary approach provides a solid platform in which to develop your knowledge and expand your professional skills.  

He added: “My learnings will pave the way for contributing to designing evidence-based policies. I’ll also engage in building the capacity of other stakeholders such as block administrators, local government functionaries and women collectives.  

“My established relationships as a global scholar with fellow scholars, esteemed professors, and prestigious organisations/institutions will contribute to my vision intellectually, collaboratively and financially.  

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