Deepti Adlakha, PhD
I am a Fulbright alumna and Associate Professor of Urban Health in the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft).
My work is driven by a commitment to reducing health inequities—particularly among vulnerable populations—by examining how urban environments shape human health and wellbeing. I bring a broad portfolio of international academic experience, having lived and worked across India, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.
My work is globally oriented, supported by competitive funding from international agencies, and carried out in diverse low- and middle-income settings through interdisciplinary collaborations.
Academic Profile
Education
08/2011 - 08/2016
Ph.D.
Brown School, Prevention Research Centre
Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Dissertation Title: “Can we walk? Environmental supports for physical activity in India”
08/2009 - 08/2011
Fulbright Scholar for Leadership Development
Master of Urban Design (MUD)
Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts
Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Denmark (2010) and China (2011) International Study Programs
06/2002 - 06/2007
Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) (First Class with Distinction)
School of Architecture and Planning, Anna University, Chennai, India
Academic Appointments
05/2023 - Present
Associate Professor of Urban Health
Delft Technology Fellow
Department of Urbanism
Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment
Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), The Netherlands
07/2021 - 05/2023
Associate Professor
Director, Natural Learning Initiative
Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning
College of Design
North Carolina State University, USA
06/2017 - 06/2021
Assistant Professor
School of Natural and Built Environment
Queen’s University Belfast, UK
Teaching Record
Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
2025
The Position of the Architect (De Positie van de Architect)
2024 - 2025
The Healthy and Inclusive City (THIC): Addressing socio-spatial inequalities
Comprising three courses:
- Action Research
- Design Course
- Literature Review and Lecture Series
North Carolina State University, USA
2022
Advanced Topics Studio in Landscape Architecture
2022
Urban Design Studio
2022
Environment and Behavior
2022
Landscape Architecture Introduction Design Studio
2022
‘Intergenerational Interactions: Design for Children, Youth, and Families.’
Queen’s University Belfast, UK
2019 - 2020
Planning, Health, and Well-being
2017 - 2020
Design Principles in the Built Environment
2017 - 2020
Spatial Literacy for City Planners
2017 - 2020
Comparative Planning Studies
2017 - 2020
European Planning Practice—Independent Research Projects and Dissertations
2017 - 2020
Supervision of Independent Thesis Projects
MSc City Planning, MSc Planning and Development, Master’s in Public Health (MPH) programmes
Washington University in St. Louis, USA
2015
Skill Lab: Introduction to GIS and Spatial Mapping
2012
Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving—From the Bottom-Up: A Grassroots Approach to Designing Healthy Neighbourhoods and Communities
2010 - 2011
Alberti Program—Architecture for Young People
Research Experience
2024 - 2025
School of Environment Education and Development
University of Manchester, UK
2022 - 2023
Visiting Scholar
The Urban Institute
School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society
Heriot-Watt University, UK
02/2019
Active Living Research
Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Diego, USA
07/2018
Visiting Research Fellow
Urban Futures Enabling Capability Platform
Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
11/2015 - 05/2017
Research Fellow and Project Coordinator
‘Physical Activity & Regeneration of Connswater—A natural experiment investigating the impact of urban regeneration on public health’
Centre for Public Health, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, UK
Funder: National Prevention Research Initiative, UK; PI’s: Kee, F.
08/2017
Visiting Research Fellow
International Physical Activity and Environment Network
Syddansk Universitet, Odense, Denmark
07/2013 - 07/2014
Project Coordinator
‘Emerging Technologies: Assessing Physical Activity with Webcams
and Crowdsourcing’
Funder: National Institutes of Health, USA (R21 CA186481); PI:Hipp, J.A.
06/2012 - 06/2013
Doctoral Research Assistant
‘Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer’
Funder: National Institutes of Health, USA (U54 CA155496); PIs: Hipp, J.A. & Brownson, R.C.
06/2012 - 06/2013
Funder: Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region, Missouri, USA
05/2011 - 05/2013
Research Assistant
‘Capture of Outdoor Scenes to Evaluate and Validate Physical Activity
Policy and Built Environment Change’
Funder: University Research Strategic Alliance, Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, USA; PI: Hipp, J.A.
08/2009 - 05/2012
Doctoral Research Assistant
‘Liveable Lives Initiative’
Funder: Centre for Social Development, Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, USA; PI: Hipp, J.A.
05/2005 - 05/2006
Research Assistant
‘Project on Mega Cities: Chennai—museum, exhibition, backyard’
Funders: Indo-Dutch Programme on Alternative Development (IDPAD), Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Chennai, India; Editors: Pandian, M.S.S., Srivathsan A., Radhakrishnan, M.
Grants and Fellowships
2023 - 2028
Delft Technology Fellowship
‘Built Environment and Health’
EUR 250,000
2024 - 2025
Principal Investigator: ‘Not according to plan: A novel, transdisciplinary methodology to evaluate climate action plans in cities’
EUR 50,000
2024 - 2025
Principal Investigator: ‘Beyond ‘business as usual’: Assessing the scope of climate action plans to lower current emissions trajectories’—in collaboration with the University of California, San Diego USA
EUR 30,000
2022 - 2023
Principal Investigator: ‘Connecting campuses to communities with micromobility infrastructure’—in collaboration with Spin, San Francisco)
USD 100,000 (EUR 100,823)
2022 - 2023
Earth Science Applications: Equity and Environmental Justice Institutional Principal Investigator: ‘From Green to GrEEEn: Utilizing an environmental justice lens and earth science data to enhance greenspace Equity, Exposure, and Experience’—in collaboration with Rowan University, New Jersey, USA (PI: Meenar, M.)
USD 100,000 (EUR 100,823)
2022 - 2023
Co-Investigator: ‘Social media mining to inform park use and public health decision-making‘ (PI: Hipp, J.A.)
USD 32,417 (EUR 32,684)
2021 - 2023
Principal Investigator: ‘Physical Activity and Neighbourhood Design for Adolescents in Saudi Arabia (PANDA)’—in collaboration with King Abdulaziz University (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
USD 120,000 (EUR 120,988)
2021 - 2022
Co-Investigator: ‘Less Netflix, More Nature! Unlocking the Potential of Green Social Prescriptions to Reduce Health Inequity and Strengthen Environmental Sustainability’—in collaboration with the University of Wollongong, Sydney, Australia, and University of Surrey, UK (PIs: Hipp, J.A. &. Astell-Burt, T.)
USD 10,000 (EUR 10,082)
2021 - 2022
Co-Investigator: ‘Early Childhood Outdoor Play and Learning Environments—Train of Trainers (ToT) Course’ (PI: Cosco, N.)
USD 30,000 (EUR 30,250)
2021 - 2022
Co-Investigator: ‘Playing by the Rules: Colorado Regulatory Guide Evaluation’ (PI: Cosco, N.)
USD 10,000 (EUR 10,082)
2020 - 2021
Principal Investigator: ‘Healthy and active ageing: Environmental and social supports for older adults in Colombia’—in collaboration with Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
GBP 35,000 (EUR 40,696)
2020 - 2021
COVID Recovery and Re-imagining a Post-lockdown World Principal Investigator: ‘Reimagining street design for COVID-19 recovery’
GBP 10,000 (EUR 11,628)
2020 - 2021
Principal Investigator: ‘The urban opportunity: Accelerating policy development for implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goals’
GBP 19,993 (EUR 23,247)
2019 - 2021
Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology—Kharagpur (IIT-KGP), West Bengal, India Principal Investigator: ‘Transit Oriented Development: Developing an integrated housing and transport model’
GBP 120,750 (EUR 140,402)
2019 - 2020
Principal Investigator: ‘What would an age-friendly city look like? A comparative approach of urban living to improve older adults’ mobility and well-being in the Global South’
GBP 35,000 (EUR 40,696)
2019 - 2020
Principal Investigator: ‘All eyes on us: Big data and emerging technologies for surveillance in society’
GBP 10,000 (EUR 11,628)
2016 - 2019
Co-Investigator: ‘Healthy Urban Living and Ageing in Place: Physical activity, built environment and knowledge exchange in UK and Brazilian cities (HULAP)’ (PI: Ellis, G.)
GBP 468,000 + Brazil c800,000 (EUR 790,390)
2017 - 2018
Principal Investigator: ‘Healthy Environments and Active Living in India (HEAL-India)’
GBP 36,000 (EUR 41,859)
2009 - 2011
USD 75,000 (EUR 75,617)
Washington University in St. Louis, USA
2014 - 2015
Brown School International Dissertation Award
2012 - 2013
Open Space Graduate Research Scholarship
2011 - 2012
Graduate Service Grant, Community Service Office
2010 - 2011
Graduate Service Grant, Community Service Office
2010 - 2011
Civic Engagement Grant, Gephardt Institute of Public Service
2010 - 2011
Sam Fox School Travel Grant
Honors and Awards
North Carolina State University, USA
2021 - 2022
Global Engagement Institute Award
Queen’s University Belfast, UK
2018 - 2019
Staff Recognition Award—Exceptional Performance and Contribution to the School
Washington University in St. Louis, USA
2012
Bridging GAPS Award for Community Service
2012
International Student Award, 17th Graduate Research Symposium
School of Architecture and Planning, India
2007 - 2008
Indian Institute of Architects’ Award, Best Thesis, India
2002 - 2007
University Gold Medal for Bachelor of Architecture
2002 - 2007
Best Outgoing Student
2006 - 2007
Outstanding Thesis Award
2006 - 2007
Eurocon Award, Best Cumulative Performance
2006 - 2007
Pidilite Award, Excellence in Architectural Studies
2002 - 2007
Lions Club of Madras Award, Best Cumulative Performance
2002 - 2007
L.M. Chitale Medal for Overall Performance
External
2015
Travel Award—International Society of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity