FOCUS
Alexander (Zander) De Jesus’ research emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach to environmental justice, with the goal of translating meaningful community-partnered field science into actionable policy that meets direct health needs. Zander has been working within the pollution exposure space, primarily concerned with the disproportionate health impacts of air pollution on the most vulnerable neighborhoods across the U.S. He is now learning new statistical methods to design models for complex pollution mixtures and visualizing spatial pollutant distributions using GIS for community advocacy. A main research question he seeks to pursue is: How do different community-based participatory research methods shape the efficacy of health interventions in environmental justice neighborhoods? Zander intends to analyze how residents can have direct, empowered access to tools that measure local pollution and the control to make informed remediation decisions to heal their environment.
MORE ABOUT ZANDER
As a multiracial American of Puerto Rican, Korean, and Eastern European heritage, Zander knows that a backbone of generating innovative scientific solutions is giving space for diverse lived experiences, providing voice to those previously left unheard. He is committed to an environmental justice policy vision that co-produces healthy ecosystems and strong communities.
