Impacts of Climate Change on Water & Health (I)

Betsy Foxman, PhD 

(Hunein F. and Hilda Maassab Endowed Professor of Epidemiology and Director of the Center for Molecular and Clinical Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases (MAC-EPID)

Jen Maigret

Professor of Architecture, Climate Futures Director, University of Michigan

Introduced by Bradley Popovich

Jen Maigret is a Professor of Architecture and a licensed architect with over two decades of professional practice experience and master's degrees in both architecture and ecology. Her research and creative practice reside at the intersection of architecture, climate action and design excellence as tools toward improved ecological and human health. 

Dr. Maigret's profile with Graham Sustainability Institute

Kevin Rose, PhD

Associate Professor and Director of the Darrin Freshwater Institute, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Introduced by Alex Song

Dr. Kevin Rose leads a research team at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York. His research spans ecology and biogeochemistry, focusing predominantly on understanding broad-scale patterns and processes in freshwater ecosystems such as lakes and ponds. A goal of his group is to forecast the future state of aquatic ecosystems in a regional to global context, with an emphasis on understanding how freshwater ecosystems are changing in response to factors such as land use and climate change.  This interdisciplinary research draws on diverse skills in biology, ecology, biogeochemistry, advanced environmental sensors, and computational modeling. Dr. Rose's research findings have been published in high-impact journals such as Science and Nature and featured in media outlets such as NPR, the Washington Post, Fox News, and Popular Science magazine. 

Yun Shen, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, George Washington University

Introduced by Soojung Lee

Dr. Yun Shen's research is addressing critical challenges in the nexus of environment and health. She is investigating the transmission and control of environmental pathogens in water and wastewater. Especially, her work is focusing on pathogens not as isolated particles, but in their clustered forms. Her work explores bacteria-virus complexities, vesicle-associated viruses, plastic-pathogen interactions, in the complex environments. In addition, she examines how bacterial pathogens respond to oxidative stresses and modulate host–pathogen interactions. The outcomes of her research advance the understanding of pathogen health risks and facilitate the sustainable strategies of public health protection.