Riya Malhotra

Riya is a Master of Science candidate at Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture, specializing in Building Performance and Diagnostics, and is an active committee member with ASHRAE and IBPSA-USA. Presently, her work is focused on residential retrofitting and electrification, ensuring energy resilience in low-income communities.

 

Before pursuing her postgraduate studies, she was practising as an architect and a research professional in India's energy and environment sector. She worked as a Research Associate at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) contributing to the policy development, consultancy, and research in the field of building sciences with a focus on energy-efficient science-based solutions. At TERI, she worked closely with numerous private and government stakeholders such as UNEP, BEE, MoHUA, DSIR, GIZ, World Bank, Saint Gobain, and Mahindra Lifespaces.

In 2024, Riya was selected as an Environmental Defense Fund Climate Corps Fellow with JLL, where she developed a dashboard wireframe to support the adoption of Building Performance Standards across the United States. EDF recognized her leadership and contributions with the Adam Rozenberg Community Builder Award. 

 

In addition to her work, as a Co-founder of M.U.D Collaborative, her interests also expand to socially and environmentally sustainable building practices and natural clay- and bio-based building materials. ​