Vaibhavi Dwivedi, MEM, B.A., LL.B

What’s the work that you do?

I wear multiple hats! As a PhD researcher, I am examining plastic pollution governance in the Antarctic region: mapping the governance actors, identifying the crucial gaps in the frameworks, and proposing future directions to close those gaps.

I also serve as co-Deputy Chief Officer of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Group within SCAR (the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research). In this role, I work to bring different perspectives into the conversation and help the Antarctic community become more inclusive and welcoming.

Both roles, in their own way, are about asking who and what gets overlooked, and making sure they no longer are!

What keeps you going?

I have two main motivations: 1) My hope is to build a truly inclusive future, one that paves the way for women who look like me to see themselves in spaces that, for most of our shared history, kept us out.
2) I want everyone to understand our shared responsibility in being stewards of the only planet we call home. I appreciate learning about global environmental complexities, but I am also incredibly sensitive to the fact that the global playing field is highly unequal. This awareness shapes how I think about myself in every role I undertake and pushes me to think bigger!

What’s your message to the world?

You belong here! That’s my message to everyone in the Antarctic research community. It took me years to understand how important a sense of belonging is and how much we can achieve together. I truly believe that talking stories with each other, holding space for different perspectives, sharing gratitude, and investing in new ideas is the only way to build an inclusive world.