Kelli Pajarit Fletcher
Graduate Student
Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
Pronouns: She/her
Faculty Advisors
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.