Ratchada Arpornsilp is a social and environmental governance specialist with over 15 years of experience advancing climate resilience, natural resource governance, and inclusive development across Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Her work focuses on integrating human rights, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability into climate, conservation, and development initiatives.

She currently serves as human rights and safeguard specialist for The Nature Conservancy’s Coral Triangle resilience project and environment and social management specialist for the ASEAN Secretariat’s Southeast Asia Regional Program on combating marine plastics. Previously, she served as regional environmental advisor and climate integration lead at the United States Agency for International Development’s Regional Development Mission for Asia. Her earlier work with various international and regional organizations has contributed to strengthening environmental governance, community rights, climate adaptation, and gender-responsive development across the region.

Ratchada holds a PhD from Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University and was a Fulbright Hubert H Humphrey Fellow at Cornell University. 

As an AsiaGlobal Fellow, her research will explore how community-centered governance can strengthen climate resilience in the Coral Triangle, examining how regional cooperation, local participation, and environmental and social safeguards can support inclusive and sustainable coastal development amid growing global investment and environmental change.