Atreyee Bhattacharya is a climate scientist who applies a longue duree (long-term) approach to study the nature, causes and impacts of climate variability in semi-arid societies, especially in the global south. To conduct this research, she analyzes geochemical properties of lake sediments and corals to reconstruct regional climate and environmental history and compare the reconstructions with records of socioeconomic and demographic information extracted from historical texts. Since the goal of her work is to inform policy, planning and adaptation with regard to the nature, causes and impacts of climate variability so as to make these practices more sustainable in the medium and long term, Bhattacharya works in a multi-disciplinary, community-engaged framework comprised of researchers, practitioners and members of communities who are at the forefront of climate risks.
Bhattacharya teaches undergraduate courses using a research centric approach called Course based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CURE), participate in outreach activities aimed at climate literacy and climate adaptation. In addition to her CU affiliations, she also holds an adjunct faculty position at the School of Human studies at the Indraprastha Institution of Information Technology (IIIT), New Delhi.