Hanzhang Lai
Hanzhang Lai (she/her) is pursuing a Master in Design Studies (Ecologies domain) at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, a research-based program focused on sustainability and human–environment relationships. Her current graduate work explores the intersection of sustainability, climate justice, and design, with a particular emphasis on advancing climate migration and flood resilience strategies through bottom-up, participatory approaches that empower marginalized communities. Her recent fieldwork in an Indigenous village in Taiwan examined the gap between state post-climate-disaster relocation policies and local adaptation practices.
Hanzhang previously worked as a Junior Architect in China and is a LEED Green Associate, a professional credential in sustainable design and green building practices. She also served as a Bloomberg Harvard Summer Fellow in the Nashville Mayor’s Office, where she helped develop a community engagement strategy for a transit improvement initiative. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture with a minor in Communication Photography from Syracuse University.
The Salata Institute
The Salata Institute supports interdisciplinary research that leads to real-world action, including high-risk/high-reward projects by researchers already working in the climate area and new endeavors that make it easier for Harvard scholars, who have not worked on climate problems, to do so. Faculty interested in the Climate Research Clusters program should note an upcoming deadline for concepts on April 1, 2024.