Emily Ernst started the PhD program in 2023. Born and raised in Sacramento, she obtained her B.A. in Sociology at California State University, Sacramento and then moved to Los Angeles. There, she obtained a position in functional neuroscience. She also conducted research on childlessness in the climate crisis. These endeavors inspired her to study the distributions of environmental health outcomes. She hopes to develop solution-based research relevant to communities in the Central Valley, which centers on topics of health and the environment.
Currently, under the mentorship of Dr. Andrea Polonijo, she focuses on health disparities in the wake of climate disasters across socioeconomic statuses, gender, and racial-ethnic identification groups.
