Jean Claude Iradukunda

jciradukunda@g.ucla.edu

Data Scientist and Associate Project Manager

Jean Claude Iradukunda (he/him) is a Data Scientist and Associate Project Manager for UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation. In this role, he develops, manages, and executes the Center’s Urban Heat Research projects, integrating policy, planning, and actionable data to help communities across the nation build resilience to the impacts of rising temperatures.

Dr. Iradukunda earned his Ph.D. in Environmental Science from UC Riverside, where his research combined remote sensing, modeling, and field measurements to analyze the tradeoffs between water conservation and ecosystem services in urban green spaces. Passionate about science that informs policy, he was an active member of UC Riverside’s Science to Policy program. He holds a B.S. in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Beyond research, Jean Claude enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, exploring new cuisines, and traveling.

Media Coverage

LAist

Southern California is getting hotter. LA County now has a heat action plan

Coachella Valley Independent

Creating Shade: The Goal of the Eastern Coachella Valley Shade Equity Master Plan Is to Help Low-Income Farmworkers and Their Families Stay Cool

UCLA Newsroom

UCLA Connects: 9 ways scholarship and service benefited campus, LA and the world in 2025

UCLA Newsroom

The Top 25 Bruinventions of the 21st Century (So Far)

Los Angeles Magazine

Planting Shade: Cooling Down L.A. Before The 2028 Olympic Games

See More ›

CURRENT PROJECT(S)

Mapping Shade: A New Lens on Heat Equity

Empowering people to stay outside when it’s hot

Shade is the most effective way to cool people. Our national Shade Map, created in collaboration with American Forests, empowers communities to identify shade gaps and target investments in trees and shade infrastructure. Our researchers are analyzing the shade data for 15 communities across the U.S.

Learn more

Researcher(s): V. Kelly Turner, Lana Zimmerman, and Jean Claude Iradukunda

Funder: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Eastern Coachella Valley Shade Equity Master Plan

The Eastern Coachella Valley Shade Equity Master Plan will provide a roadmap for the unincorporated communities of Mecca, North Shore, Oasis, and Thermal to invest in new shade infrastructure and adapt to extreme heat. The plan will recommend where and how to create more shade based on input from residents, government, and other key stakeholders, as well as a detailed analysis of needs and opportunities. The Luskin Center for Innovation is working with Kounkuey Design Initiative to identify policy pathways and actionable strategies for increasing shade in these areas.

Learn more

Researcher(s): V. Kelly Turner, Lana Zimmerman, Zachary Wampler, and Jean Claude Iradukunda

Funder: California Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation

Identifying Where and When People Are Heat-Exposed

In partnership with the UCLA Institute for Environment and Sustainability, the Luskin Center for Innovation is extending our shade equity planning work in Los Angeles and integrating cell phone mobility data to understand where and when people are exposed to heat. We can then overlay other information, such as temperature and shade maps, to better inform decision-making to mitigate heat hazards.

Learn more

Researcher(s): Travis Longcore, V. Kelly Turner, Jean Claude Iradukunda, and Sahar Derakhshan

Funder: California Office of Emergency Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency