Kanan Puntambekar

Kanan Puntambekar, Former Deputy Project Director of the Climate Talent Initiative at IREX, leads the design and implementation of global fellowship programs aimed at strengthening the talent pipeline in the climate sector. She also brings a strong background in Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL), as well as data analytics and product development.
Additionally, with over 15 years of technical expertise in materials science, Kanan has focused on areas like consumer electronics, energy storage, and R&D of next-generation technologies. She earned her PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Minnesota and holds an MSc and BSc in Physics from the University of Pune, India.

She is passionate about bringing new and nurturing talent in the climate and STEM sectors with a lens towards equity in these spaces. In her time outside of work, she loves to hike, tend to her vegetable and flower garden, and connect with family and friends over a cup of tea or coffee :)