Residency and Dissertation
Residency and Dissertation
After completing all coursework and successfully passing the written and oral qualifying exams upon completion of year two, students advance to doctoral candidacy and embark on their doctoral residency and dissertation.
In year three, students begin residencies at businesses, regulatory agencies, private consulting firms, environmental groups, non-profit organizations, government and non-government organizations. The residency provides practical experience in environmental analysis and management, as well as the opportunity to conduct dissertation research under the supervision of a UCLA doctoral committee.
Successful completion of the dissertation and residency results in the award of the Doctorate in Environmental Science and Engineering (D.Env.).
Recent Host Institutions for ESE Residents
| Student Name | Host Institution |
| Abraham, Sonali | Pacific Institute |
| Alvarado, Erica | Tetra Tech |
| Bear, Todd | Ecokai Environmental Incorporated |
| Pankratz, Shannon | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles |
| Pham, Tuyet-Le | South Coast Air Quality Management District |
| Sias, Glenn | Southern California Edison |
| Taylor, Jennifer | Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Authority |
| Toumari, Arman | Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board |
| Zhang, Li | Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning |
ESE Dissertation
An Environmental Science and Engineering dissertation must be scholarly and original work applied towards solving a significant environmental problem. As with Problems Courses, dissertations typically address policy as well as technical dimensions of a particular problem. The dissertation is usually completed in 18-36 months.
Recent Dissertations
- Setal Prabhu. 2017.
“Plant and Soil Recovery Along Powerline Corridors in the Colorado Desert of Southern California”
Richard Ambrose, Chair - Todd Bear. 2017.
“Soil Carbon Sequestration and Carbon Market Potential of a Southern California Tidal Salt Marsh Proposed for Restoration”
Richard Ambrose, Chair - Jordan Rosencranz. 2017.
“Assessing the Vulnerability of Salt Marsh Habitats to Sea-Level Rise in California”
Richard Ambrose, Chair, Glen MacDonald, Co-Chair - Glenn Sias. 2017.
“Characterization of the Life Cycle Environmental Impacts and Benefits of Smart Electric Meters and Consequences of their Deployment in California”
Richard Ambrose, Chair, Deepak Rajagopal, Co-Chair - Tiffany Yap. 2017.
“Assessing the threat of two deadly fungal pathogens (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and Batrachchytrium salamandrivorans) to amphibian biodiversity and the impacts of human-mediated movement of an invasive carrier species and climate change”
Richard Ambrose, Chair, Vance Vrendenburg, Co-Chair - Stacie Fejtek Smith. 2017.
“The Implications of Current Restoration Practices and Regulatory Policy for Recovery of the Federally Endangered Southern California Steelhead”
Richard Ambrose, Chair, Glen MacDonald, Co-Chair - Aanchal Kohli. 2017.
“Exploring Informational Environmental Programs on Air Quality and Toxic Chemical Releases”
Magali Demlas, Chair