Air quality and climate change researcher Garima Raheja – Planet status

Garima Raheja He spent his childhood in New Delhi, India, where he saw first hand the negative effects of pollution in the bustling city that surrounded her. Later, in the Bay area in California, Raheja lived with the imminent presence of forest fires. These experiences inspired her to look for ways to quantify and reduce the impacts of climate change, especially in the most vulnerable populations.

As Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences of the University of Columbia and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Raheja investigates automatic learning methods to measure air pollution in marginalized communities around the world, as well as strategies to decarbonize The energy grid. Read more about Raheja’s trip and women who have inspired her in the questions and answers below.

How did you get into science?

I grew up in New Delhi, India, which is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and then I moved to California, where forest fires became a daily part of our lives, and now I live in New York that became orange Last summer, so I think the fires follow me and I can never get them out of my mind. Living in California, I was inspired by Silicon Valley technology, and I wanted to make a shocking technological science that mitigated the worst effects of climate change in the most vulnerable populations. In the White House under the Biden administration, I worked on the decarbonization of the United States Energy portfolio, and I hope to continue working on the decarbonization and science of the climate.

Is there a woman in science, Columbia or otherwise, who inspired you?

So, many women have inspired me. My mother, Pratibha Raheja, is a former pharmacist and current science teacher who inspires hundreds of students every year to find their curiosity through practical sciences. In Columbia, Faye McNeill always leads with the example, showing me many other women how to be a leader and also be fun and have a vibrant life out of work.

In addition, Colleen Rosales inspires me in Openaq, who is a great mentor and follower, and a fantastic collaborator! I have been lucky enough to work with Colleen in a series of projects and I am always motivated by their reflexive and insightful contributions to their work. I am also a great admirer of Jackie Klopp in Columbia, evil Dauda in UC Berkeley, Pallavi Pant in the Institute of Health Effects, Saumya Singh in IIFM Bhopal, Lysssa Freese in UC Irvine, Ana Hoffman in Create Lab, and Julia Jeanty and Natasha UDU -Gama, both in the prosperous exchange of the earth.

StatisticallyWomen represent only 33% of researchers and tend to receive smaller research grants than their male colleagues. Have you faced such challenges as a scientific woman? Do you see things improving?

I have definitely faced such challenges, and they are exacerbated by being a woman of color. There is still a lot of implicit bias in higher education and in the professional world. Fortunately, I am surrounded by incredible women who take the time to mentor me and encourage even when the state of women’s rights seems to be in global decline. I would not be anywhere without this community of support women, and I hope to continue cultivating this community and support women throughout the field!