Dr. Regan F. Patterson is an Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles. She was previously the Transportation Equity Research Fellow for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in Washington, DC and a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research.
Her research interests include air quality, sustainable transportation, community engagement, and environmental justice. More specifically, she examines and models the impact of transportation and infrastructure policies as well as place-based, community-driven interventions on air pollution exposure disparities and environmental justice. Dr. Patterson earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from UC Berkeley and her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UCLA.
Anika Tasnia
Anika Tasnia is a Ph.D. student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at UCLA, specializing in transportation equity and environmental justice. Her research focuses on the impacts of infrastructural development on flooding and their disproportionate effects on marginalized communities.
Anika takes an interdisciplinary approach to investigate the nexus among climate change, environmental sustainability, infrastructure planning, and community development. Her work is dedicated to designing resilient infrastructure systems that mitigate the adverse effects of climate-induced disruptions and extreme weather events.
Zanobia R. Ibrahim-Watkins is a second-year Ph.D. student in Environmental Engineering at UCLA. She is dedicated to the advancement of environmental justice by utilizing environmental engineering techniques to address disparities in marginalized communities. Zanobia conducts research at the intersection of environmental engineering qualitative and quantitative methods and community engagement methods to examine the distribution of toxic environmental contaminants and investigate equitable, community-centered, environmental- and sustainability-focused solutions. She also serves as the Environmental Justice Project Liaison for Dr. Patterson's course, Engineering and Environmental Justice.
Timothy Vu is currently pursuing his Master's degree at UCLA under the Applied Chemical Sciences (MACS) program. He completed his undergraduate studies at UCSD in Chemistry, where he researched Environmental Chemistry and stable nitrogen isotopes in the atmosphere. In the Engineering Environmental Justice Lab, Timothy is researching highway capping projects and their effects on environmental air pollution.
Weizhuo Jing’s research interests lie at the intersection of environmental science, data analysis, and sustainability. He is particularly focused on analyzing environmental data to assess impacts on water resources, air quality, and soil health. His work emphasizes the use of geospatial analysis, machine learning, and statistical methods to explore issues like drought conditions, greenhouse gas emissions, and stream metabolism. Weizhuo is dedicated to applying his research to real-world challenges, such as improving sustainability in industries and informing policy decisions through rigorous data analysis and visualization.
Marylyn Carrillo is a 4th year at UCLA, studying Civil & Environmental Engineering. As the first in her family to pursue any form of higher education, including high school, she is passionate about advancing equity in environmental research. Growing up in the Inland Empire, known for its air quality challenges, has driven her focus on air pollution, air quality modeling, and advocating for vulnerable communities. Specializing in GIS and data analysis, Marylyn aims to bridge the gap between social justice and engineering for a sustainable future. During her free time, she enjoys exploring national parks, camping, and baking with her little sisters.
