Garima Raheja spent her childhood in New Delhi, India, where she saw the negative in the first hand Effects of pollution On the lively city around it. Later, in the Bay region in California, Raheja lived with the imminent presence of forest fires. These experiences have inspired her to find out pathways to quantify and reduce the impacts of climate change, especially on the most vulnerable populations.
As a doctorate. Candidate for the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Raheja is looking for automatic learning methods to measure air pollution in marginalized communities around the world , as well as decarbonization strategies of the energy network. Learn more about Raheja’s trip and the women who inspired her in Q&R below.
How did you get into science?
I grew up in New Delhi, India, which is one of the most polluted cities in the world, then I moved to California, where forest fires have become our lives daily, and now I live in New York who transformed orange last summer, so I think the fires follow me and I can never put them completely out of my mind. Living in California, I was inspired by Silicon Valley technology and I wanted to make impactful technological sciences that attenuated the worst effects of climate change on the most vulnerable populations. At the White House under the Biden administration, I was able to work on the decarbonization of the Energy Portfolio of the United States, and I hope to continue working on decarbonization and climate science.
Is there a woman in science, Columbia or other, who inspired you?
So so many women have inspired me. My mother, Pratibha Raheja, is a former pharmacist and current science teacher who inspires hundreds of students every year to find their curiosity through practical sciences. In Columbia, Faye McNeill always leads by example, showing me and many other women how to be a leader while being fun and having a dynamic life outside of work.
In addition, I am inspired by Colleen Rosales in Openaq, which is an excellent mentor and supporter, and a fantastic collaborator! I had the chance to work with Colleen on a certain number of projects and I am always motivated by his thoughtful and perceptive contributions to his work. I am also a big fan of Jackie Klopp in Columbia, from Misbath Daouda to UC Berkeley, Pallavi Pant at the Health Effect Institute, Sauma Singh in Iifm Bhopal, Lyssa Freeee in UC Irvine, Ana Hoffman in Crea -Gama, both in The exchange of flourishing land.
“I would not be nowhere without this community of women of support, and I hope to continue to develop this community and support women of color through the field.”
StatisticallyWomen represent only 33% of researchers and tend to receive smaller research subsidies than their male colleagues. Have you faced challenges as a scientific woman? Do you see things improve?
I definitely have faced with such challenges, and they are exacerbated by being a woman of color. There are still a lot of implicit biases in higher education and in the professional world. Fortunately, I am surrounded by incredible women who take the time to supervise and encourage me even when the state of women’s rights seems to be in global decline. I would not be nowhere without this community of women of support, and I hope to continue to develop this community and to support women of color through the field!