The SSPG Research Group Meet our Graduate Students Miles Baker is a first year graduate student in the Master of Public Affairs program at the LBJ School. His academic focus lies at the intersection of sustainability and justice within urban environments. His research has explored how city climate action plans integrate justice considerations. Miles is part of the Austin Area sustainability Indicators project, exploring emergency preparedness and food security. Email: milesbaker@utmail.utexas.edu Education: B.S. Sustainability Science, Furman University Trevor Brooks is a Ph.D. student at the Jackson School of Geosciences, specializing in extreme heat, urban climate, and the translation of climate data into actionable decision making. He is a NASA FINESST Fellow, and has worked on various projects with the UT-City Climate Colab including their evaluation of Reflective Pavements and coordinating partnerships with UNESCO. Email: tbrooks4343@utexas.edu Education: B.S. Environmental Science, B.S. Political Science, Bridgewater College Website Olivia Enriquez is a PhD candidate at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, and her work focuses on on improving environmental policy for a more sustainable planet. As a former educator, she is interested in how sustainability can be integrated more thoroughly into education with a particular focus climate curriculum. Email:olivia.enriquez@utexas.edu Education: B.S. in Geology, Sul Ross State University; Professional Science Master’s in Environmental Sustainability and Natural Resource Management, Texas Tech University Website Isabel Gonzalez-Garcia has worked as a water and wastewater engineer for Miami-Dade County, where she explored the complex relationship between engineering and environmental policy implementation. She is currently pursuing a dual Master’s degree in Public Affairs and Environmental Engineering at UT and hopes to continue working at this intersection, with a focus on water resources management in urban areas. Email: isabel.gonzalez@utexas.edu Education: B.S. Environmental Engineering, Yale University Sarah Traore Kane is a Ph.D. student in Public Policy focusing on climate adaptation and flood risk governance, and a Fulbright scholarship awardee. Her research explores flood risk perception, adaptive capacity, and policy-driven solutions to enhance community resilience to climate hazards. Sarah brings years of international experience in hydrological modeling (HEC-HMS, ArcSWAT), data analysis, GIS mapping, drinking water and stormwater management. Email: straore@utexas.edu Education: B.S. in Civil Engineering, National Polytechnic Institute; Master’s in Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts Website Rodrigo Leal is an urban and environmental planner, community advocate, and researcher based in Austin, Texas. Rodrigo’s work focuses on the uses of community-based participatory research methods to identify and assess environmental and climate risks and create new visions for resilient futures. He is currently completing an M.S. in Community and Regional Planning, and an M.S. in Energy and Earth Resources. Email: rodrigoleal@utexas.edu Education: B.A. Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University Philip Maruri is a first-year graduate student concurrently pursuing a Master of Public Affairs and Masters of Science in Civil Engineering in Sustainable Systems. His academic focus is in developing resilience against climate change at the intersection of urban infrastructure systems and governance. He primarily works in the Jackson School of Geosciences in the Texas Extreme Weather and Urban Sustainability (TExUS) lab, but collaborates with SSPG through his research on urban heat islands. Email: pmaruri@utexas.edu Education: B.S.E. Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University Jacquie Moss is a PhD Candidate at the LBJ School, and Director of the Extreme Weather Adaptation Lab. Her research focuses on energy policy and extreme weather adaptation to find lasting solutions to clean energy for all. She has 20+ years of experience conducting research, leading creative projects, and producing visual materials. Email: jacmoss@utexas.edu Education: M.S. in Environmental Management, the University of San Francisco; Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Certification, the University of San Francisco; B.S. in Architecture, the University of Texas at Austin Extreme Weather Adaptation Lab Sandeep Paul is a Ph.D candidate in Public Policy at LBJ School of Public Affairs. He is most interested in topics related to climate change policy, disaster governance, and urban development. His doctoral work focuses on science-policy engagement for urban climate action and explores the role of policy communities in the agenda-setting of urban climate policies in India. Email: spaul.nel@utexas.edu Education: M.A. Development Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Mumbai, and B.A. (Hons.) Economics, Hans Raj College, Delhi University WebsiteCurriculum Vitae Raised in megacities around the world with family from rural American towns, Madeleine Richter-Atkinson was exposed to various climate-driven environmental issues from a young age, leading her to pursue an education in planning and policy studying water, agriculture, and climate migration. As a research assistant, she is developing a Climate Atlas for Austin to empower underserved neighborhood leaders with data to advocate for climate-resilient infrastructure at city council. She also supports state policy and programs addressing social determinants of health as an Associate at Treaty Oak Strategies. Email: madeleine.mra@utexas.edu Education: B.A. Plan II Honors and Sustainability Studies, University of Texas at Austin ATX Climate Atlas Lauren Trotter is a dual master’s degree candidate studying the intersection of environmental science and public policy. Her specific research interests include investigating how city and state governments can best adapt to the changing climate through public policy and social programs. Lauren joined the SSPG team in her second year of her three year dual degree program, through which she will earn an MPAff and MS in Energy and Earth Resources. She plans to use her research on the A2SI project in her master’s thesis. Email: laurentrotter@utexas.edu Education: B.S. Environmental Science, Texas Christian University Yuer Wang is a Ph.D. student in Public Policy at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, studying urban climate governance and resilience planning. Her research explores how communities and local stakeholders perceive climate risks and identifies opportunities for evidence-based, equity-centered policy and planning. Email: yuerw@utexas.edu Education: B.S. in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning from UC Davis; M.S. in Environment and Sustainability and an M.P.P. from the University of Michigan. Research Associates Deidra Miniard is a Research Associate with the LBJ School of Public Affairs, serving as the director of the A2SI project. Deidra also works on projects with the UT-City Climate Colab. She earned her doctorate in Environmental Science from Indiana University Bloomington, where her work focused on energy system transitions and understanding climate change attitudes, cognition, and behavior. Her current research focuses on urban sustainability, community resilience, and perceptions of climate change and environmental hazards. Email: deidra.miniard@austin.utexas.edu Austin Area Sustainability Indicators Graduated PhD Students Dr. Regina Buono received her PhD from the LBJ School of Public Affairs Spring of 2022. Her dissertation research examined the role of governance regimes in the implementation of nature-based solutions in urban settings, with a particular focus on the role of law. Prior to earning her PhD, she served as the Baker Botts Fellow in Energy and Environmental Regulatory Affairs at CES and practiced legislative and environmental law in Austin. From 2017 to 2020, Buono served as an advisor to NAIAD, a project funded by the EU to capitalize on the benefits of natural ecosystems for water-related risk mitigation by developing and testing concepts, tools and applications on demonstration sites across Europe. She currently works with Aither, a water policy and strategy consulting firm.
