Rishab graduated from Duke University in May 2024 with a major in Environmental Sciences and Policy. Calling Houston, Texas home, Rishab has spent much of his last few years working in climate activism, environmental justice work, and researching how energy transitions are affecting rural populations. On campus, he organized extensively with the Transformative Systems Project student group around economic systems change and increasing political consciousness on campus. When not working on intellectual pursuits, Rishab loves hiking, playing sports, dancing, and cooking with his friends.

Rishab will spend his Hart Fellowship building upon his undergraduate thesis research by investigating how the energy transition is impacting rural, indigenous populations in La Guajira, Colombia. Specifically, he will study how local populations define human flourishing and sustainable development and how these definitions should influence environmental and economic policy frameworks in the country.