Marinelle Villanueva is a Ph.D. student at UCLA in Environmental Health Sciences. Her research focuses on the environmental and health equity implications of air pollution and climate change. Specifically, her work investigates the harmful air quality and community health effects related to emissions from oil refineries in the aim to advance a just energy transition. Marinelle is committed to protecting and empowering communities disproportionately impacted by environmental injustices.
Marinelle is a proud first-generation, Filipina-American immigrant from Eastvale, California.
Her interest in environmental justice was sparked by climate change impacts and social injustices in the Philippines. She graduated with a double major at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in Environmental Systems and Global Health.
Marinelle’s dedication to environmental, climate, and social justice was cultivated through her undergraduate experiences. As a Doris Duke Conservation Scholar at Northern Arizona, she was informed of issues from energy extraction and land governance on Indigenous lands that instilled her desire to incorporate principles of environmental justice into all aspects of her work. Her service as the Director of Peer Counseling for Kaibigang Pilipinx and Community Lead for UCSD OASIS as a mentor for under-represented students inspired her awareness of community engagement, advocacy, and education as key facets for advancing change.
As a McNair Scholar at UCSD, she researched the intersection of climate change, women’s empowerment, and child undernutrition in Mozambique. Prior to starting her doctorate at UCLA, Marinelle worked at the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District where she inspected permitted sources of air pollution for compliance with environmental regulations and responded to community air quality complaints.
During her free time, she enjoys running, hiking, gardening, baking, and taking care of her dog “Zuko”. Marinelle seeks to advance research-based strategies toward a brighter, healthier, and equitable climate future.