Kelli Pajarit Fletcher is a Filipino-American second-year doctoral student in Environmental Science & Engineering (D.Env.) at UCLA, with a focus on healthcare and biotech sustainability. Originally from Connecticut, Kelli is a first-generation college graduate. Her journey has taken her from Connecticut to Boston, and now to California, where she continues to merge her passion for science with real-world impact. 

Her research centers on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of healthcare products, examining emissions data and exploring innovative reduction strategies.. As she finishes her second-year solutions research project, Kelli is also seeking a residency opportunity—ideally within government agencies such as CDC, NIEHS, or HHS, or in biotech companies—to complete her dissertation.

She is driven by a long-term goal of becoming a Chief Sustainability Officer for a healthcare system or biotech enterprise, championing environmentally responsible practices in industries that directly affect human health.

Kelli’s interest in science was sparked by the Back to the Future movies, which originally inspired dreams of becoming a physicist. While math wasn’t her strength, she found her niche in chemistry, eventually leading to her current path in environmental science. She believes deeply in the power of community and mentorship, especially for those navigating academic and professional spaces without a roadmap. Her Filipino-American background and experiences as a woman of color in STEM fuel her commitment to helping others feel seen, supported, and empowered.

Beyond her academic life, Kelli enjoys reading, going to the movies with her husband, and reflecting on their creative past as musicians—a shared chapter that once brought them to LA for a film premiere featuring their original songs.

Katherine Hernandez is third-generation Chicana/Latina of Mexican and Guatemalan descent. Katherine is a  Ph.D. candidate at the UCLA Institute of the Environment & Sustainability (IoES). Her interdisciplinary research bridges social-ecological systems (SES), narrative theory, and animal behavior to explore how human stories and cultural narratives shape the lives of wild animals—particularly in shared spaces and across time. Part of Katherine’s ongoing research involves bobcat movement in Albmarle County, Virginia, made possible with the  collaboration of the Jesmer Lab at Virginia Tech and the Smithsonian. Her study investigates spatial relationships between bobcat behavior, local narratives and attitudes, policies, and other human systems.

Katherine is also contributing to a range of research projects on topics including biocultural vulnerability, the public life of P-22 and animal “celebrity,” and movement diversity. In 2024 she co-authored a paper on the lack of extinction risk assessments completed for artisan-used plant species in Colombia, published in Ecosystems & People (Hernandez et al., 2024).

She is a co-lead of the Environmental Humanities Reading Group (EHRG) and serves as a Teaching Assistant across multiple departments. A lifelong storyteller and lover of fiction—especially sci-fi, fantasy, and horror—Katherine integrates her passion for narrative into her ecological work.

As neurodiverse and invisibly disabled person, Katherine is committed to community-driven, conservation-applicable research that centers the voices and values of local communities. Her work is guided by the belief that “we cannot begin to understand the world until all the world is taking part.”

Outside of research, Katherine enjoys speculative fiction writing, indoor rock climbing, and tending to her indoor and native plant garden—where her beloved Monstera, named Stephanie Germanotta, is almost as tall as she is.

Robert Dellinger is a PhD student in the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Department at UCLA, under the mentorship of Drs. Aradhna Tripati and Robert Eagle. They are currently a recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, a Fellow at CDLS, and a NSF National Research Trainee. Rob previously earned a Master of Science in Biology from California State University, Northridge, where they conducted research in the Quantitative Marine Ecology Lab, investigating the interactive effects of ocean acidification and warming on marine organisms. Focusing on physiological responses to future climate change scenarios, their research aims to understand how changes at the organismal level can scale up to influence broader ecosystem processes. Additionally, Rob has also researched changes in forest ecosystem function resulting from acid rain, exploring both the social and scientific aspects of these transformations. Outside of the lab, they co-founded the Climate Futures Studio, a collaborative space for scientists and artists to share optimistic visions of possible futures through storytelling. As a researcher and educator, Rob’s philosophy is shaped by the etiquette of conducting ecosystem research: the belief that we should leave environments – both natural and academic – better than we found them, not just for ourselves, but for future generations.

Hannah Sutherland (she/her) is the Open Science and Collections Librarian for Engineering and the Physical Sciences and serves as the subject librarian for the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. In her role as an Open Science Librarian, she assists the UCLA community with open access publishing, funder mandate compliance, and open research principles like open data, protocols, methods, and educational resources. For any assistance with IoES projects or assignments, please feel free to email her or schedule a research consultation. She’s available to help with any stage of the research process, including developing a thesis or research question, finding, citing and analyzing sources and creating a literature review.

She also works with the Department of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences, the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, and the Cluster program. Prior to this role, she worked for five years as an Instructional Designer at the Library, creating scalable and accessible online learning resources and collaborating with instructors to include information literacy focused learning outcomes in support of assignments. She is particularly passionate about critical pedagogy, Universal Design for Learning, critical access, open research and critical openness.

Hannah is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts where she studied Filmmaking. She also holds an MLIS from UCLA’s School of Education and Information Studies with a specialization in Academic Librarianship. In her free time, she’s an avid reader, home cook, backpacker, climber, yoga enthusiast, and board/video game player.

Joyce Goh is a third-year undergraduate student at UCLA, majoring in Environmental Science with a minor in Statistics and Data Science. She is currently conducting research under the guidance of Dr. Robert Eagle, Maxence Guillermic, and Kira Fish, focusing on coral and coral algae growth and the impacts of climate change. Her research projects include studying the influence of irradiance and interspecific differences on chemical signatures in carbonate from coralline algae complexes, as well as examining trace element incorporation in scleractinian corals cultured at varying temperatures and pCO2 levels.

Passionate about collaboration and diversity in science, Joyce values the CDLS fellowship for its emphasis on working together to improve society. She believes diverse perspectives drive innovation and that STEM serves as a universal language to advance knowledge.

Outside the lab, Joyce is the Chief of Programming at the UCLA Community Service Commission, organizing events like Volunteer Day and the Service Impact Summit. With a lifelong curiosity about the world, Joyce aspires to contribute to carbon science and work on reducing carbon emissions. She enjoys hiking, running, bouldering, and solo travel, and brings a global perspective to her work, having grown up in Singapore.

Vivian Nguyen is a first-generation college graduate and Vietnamese-American passionate about science communication. She earned her degree in public relations from the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in sustainability, and is dedicated to making scientific knowledge accessible to diverse audiences.

Currently, Vivian serves as a Climate Resilience Fellow & Leadership Facilitator at CDLS, where she connects with early-career scientists from various backgrounds to foster inclusive discussions on environmental and social challenges. She is an advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB+) in STEM, encouraging us to ask, “Who truly benefits from science in the bigger picture, and who are we making space for at the table?”

In 2025, Vivian was selected as an OceanX Young Explorer, where she received the opportunity to join the OceanXplorer to dive into the media storytelling and marine science operations on board. Vivian aspires to be a leader in science communications by managing major campaigns or launching her own agency to help businesses and organizations strengthen their social good messaging. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys attending live music events and spending time near the water.

Dominique Stumbaugh is a graduate student in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at UCLA, specializing in space physics.

Dominique is dedicated to fostering inclusive scientific communities through her work with Exploring Your Universe (EYU), ComSciCon, and Society for Gender Equity in the Geosciences (SGEG). Her research focuses on developing predictive models for space weather using satellite data. She is also leading a course on the intersection of machine learning and climate change.

Dominique was raised by her loving, supportive lesbian parents and adopted siblings, in a non-traditional family environment that shaped her advocacy for diversity and inclusion in both the classroom and beyond. Her interest in science began with a curiosity about space, and she is committed to advancing diversity and inclusion in STEM. Dominique aims to contribute to understanding the near-Earth space environment and aspires to one day become an astronaut.

She believes diversity and inclusion in STEM are crucial for innovation and creating a more equitable and welcoming environment. By embracing diverse perspectives and ideas, she believes we can tackle the fundamental science questions that remain unanswered in space exploration and beyond.

For Dominique, the most important aspects of the CDLS Fellowship program are the strong sense of community and the opportunity to connect with like-minded, caring individuals. She has found that the CDLS community provides support that fosters collaboration and a shared commitment to making science more accessible.

Outside of school, she enjoys reading, baking sourdough, rock climbing, and attending concerts.

Kennedy Kyle is a third-year undergraduate student at UCLA, majoring in Public Affairs with a minor in Environmental Systems and Society. Kennedy is currently working under the guidance of Dr. Tripati as part of the Sustainable LA Grand Challenge Program, where she is honing her skills and passion for environmental policy and sustainability.

Originally from Houston, TX, Kennedy’s love for nature and the outdoors sparked her interest in studying the world around her. Her dedication to environmental justice and sustainability is fueled by her desire to make a meaningful impact in the field of environmental policy. She is inspired by seeing individuals who share her background pursuing careers in these spaces, especially after years of feeling excluded from representation.

Kennedy is committed to creating change and shaping the future of environmental policy and sustainability, with aspirations of securing a job in these fields upon graduation.

Alejandro “Man One” Poli Jr. is a first-generation American and the son of Mexican immigrants who came to the U.S. in search of greater opportunities. A graduate of Loyola Marymount University (1993) with a B.A. in Fine Arts and a minor in Spanish, he has dedicated his career to using art as a tool for community empowerment and social change.

As a muralist and artist, Alejandro is currently working on Faces of Watts, a public art initiative in Southern California that collaborates with local residents to create murals reflecting their community’s identity and resilience. Through his global travels, he has discovered striking similarities among communities worldwide—a shared need for self-expression, visibility, and connection. He believes that we are all interconnected and deserve access to healthy, clean environments. Alejandro views art and science as deeply intertwined, working together to address some of the most pressing issues facing the planet.

Alejandro’s aspirations include continuing to create community-based murals worldwide, writing his first book, and using his art to advance equality and social justice.

Christophe Roncato Tounsi is an associate professor at University Grenoble Alpes (France) and 2024-25 Fulbright Scholar recipient. After completing a thesis in environmental literature in 2011, Christophe has gradually developed a transdisciplinary approach at the crossroads of environmental history, industrial ecology and sociology. At the California Center for Sustainable Communities for five months, Christophe is leading a research project on bike and e-bike mobility in the Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego areas from a post-growth perspective.

Christophe is circulating a survey to be found here: https://enquetes.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr/SurveyServer/s/roncatoc/Longdistancebikecommutes/questionnaire.html