Prerna Shah has a masters degree in Environmental Management from the National University of Singapore. As part of her course, she completed a thesis that focused on risk perceptions and their role in shaping vulnerability, particularly in context of the urbanization and disaster trends visible in the Himalayas. It was later selected for the Shell Best Dissertation Award.

Prerna has worked at the Institute of Water Policy and the Centre for Liveable Cities where she was engaged in social and environmental research projects primarily focused on risk, resilience and urban planning in Singapore. She also has experience in sustainability advisory and communications at Gaia Discovery Eco Solutions.

In India, Prerna has worked at the Himalayan Action Research Centre where she was involved in community mobilization and capacity building initiatives aimed at cultivating disaster resilient societies through sustainable use of common resources. Deeply concerned by the environmental externalities afflicting the Himalayan region and driven by the desire to affect meaningful change, she left her executive job in India to pursue her passion in the field of environment.

Besides her love for nature, Prerna is a trained mountaineer and has been part of various expeditions in the Himalayan region. She was selected among a group of 81 students, researchers, practitioners from 26 nations for the Inspire International Antarctic Expedition (IAE) 2015: an initiative to inform, inspire and engage next generation leaders to take responsibility for a sustainable future. Thoroughly inspired by the work of Sir Robert Swan, the IAE leader and the first person to walk to both poles, she raised bulk of the financial resources for the expedition and aligned herself to a cause she believed in. In her words, “the journey to the southernmost continent has ended but the nature and spirit behind the program are and will continue to inspire my work in future”.