Danielle Hoague, Ph.D. 2025

Danielle Hoague grew up in Altadena, where concerns about toxic water were part of everyday life. Today, she studies toxic lead exposure and environmental injustice in Watts, Los Angeles, a community shaped by decades of industrial activity, underinvestment and pollution. She earned her Ph.D. in Environment and Sustainability from UCLA IoES in 2025, focusing on how cumulative lead exposure affects historically marginalized neighborhoods. A National Science Foundation Sustainability Fellow, Hoague conducts research intended to inform public health and environmental decision-making. Alongside her research, she founded “Crochet Corners,” a meditative, community-based group rooted in ancestral practice that brings people together for healing, care and connection.