Scholars
Sayanangshu Modak
The University of Arizona
Based in
India
Asia
Sayanangshu is a PhD candidate at the University of Arizona’s School of Geography, Development and Environment. His research explores how governance innovations for ecological restoration develop – or face constraints – in complex river delta systems. Prior to starting his doctorate in 2022, he worked at the Observer Research Foundation on transboundary water governance and at the Foundation for Ecological Security on community-managed land and water commons. He earned an M.Sc. in Water Policy and Governance from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, and a B.Sc. in Geography from Presidency University, Kolkata. While in Tucson, he enjoys biking and desert sunsets.
Country(ies) of Specialty
Bangladesh IndiaFocus areas of expertise
Climate Justice Behavioral action Public opinionHow to Connect
Publications
Selected Publications
Modak, Sayanangshu, and Nilanjan Ghosh. “China–India Hydropolitics on the Brahmaputra: Why Do Hard Data Need to Dominate over Existing Rhetoric?” International Journal of Water Resources Development, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2024.2449227
Varady, Robert G., Tamee R. Albrecht, Sayanangshu Modak, Margaret O. Wilder, and Andrea K. Gerlak. “Transboundary Water Governance Scholarship: A Critical Review.” Environments, 2023, https://doi.org/10.3390/environments10020027
Modak, Sayanangshu. “Voice to the River: Observations on Legal Rights for Rivers in India.” RGNUL Student Research Review, vol. 7, no. 2, 2021, https://www.rsrr.in/_files/ugd/286c9c_b0dbfb56967a42eca7ae610c0b1ff889.pdf?index=true
Bandyopadhyay, Jayanta, and Sayanangshu Modak. Governance of the Hindu Kush Himalaya as the “Water Tower of Asia”: Importance of a Region-Specific System of Integrated Knowledge. Observer Research Foundation Monograph, 2021, https://www.orfonline.org/research/governing-the-water-tower-of-asia/
Modak, Sayanangshu. “Towards an Ecosystems Approach to Fisheries Management Along the Bengal Coast.” ORF Occasional Paper, no. 323, 2021, https://www.orfonline.org/research/towards-an-ecosystems-approach-to-fisheries-management-along-the-bengal-coast/
Modak, Sayanangshu, and Surajit Ghosh. “Floods as Agents of Vitality: Reaffirming Human-Nature Synergies.” Water Science Policy, 2021, https://dx.doi.org/10.53014/REHQ6535
Modak, Sayanangshu, and Ambar Kumar Ghosh. “Federalism and Interstate River Water Governance in India.” ORF Occasional Paper, no. 294, 2021, https://www.orfonline.org/research/federalism-and-interstate-river-water-governance-in-india/
Modak, Sayanangshu, Nirmalya Choudhury, and Andrea Gerlak. “Hydrating the Hydrocracy: In Search of Collaborative Offshoots.” Observer Research Foundation, 25 Aug. 2025. https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/hydrating-the-hydrocracy-in-search-of-collaborative-offshoots
Ghosh, Ambar Kumar, and Sayanangshu Modak. “Analysis: Sandeshkhali and the Exploitative Aquaculture of the Bengal Delta.” Dialogue Earth, 3 Apr. 2024. https://dialogue.earth/en/food/analysis-sandeshkhali-and-the-exploitative-aquaculture-of-the-bengal-delta/
Modak, Sayanangshu. “IPCC’s Reminder: Not Just Climate-Smart but Also Water-Wise.” Observer Research Foundation, 14 Apr. 2022. https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/not-just-climate-smart-but-also-water-wise