Lauren Dunlap (she/her) is a project manager of energy equity research at the Luskin Center for Innovation. Her work spans multiple research areas, including energy justice and climate adaptation, as well as strategic research communications. Her primary role is to manage the Luskin Center for Innovation’s work on the LA100 Equity Strategies project, which includes engaging with community stakeholders, LADWP staff, and other UCLA research centers to identify and evaluate strategies for a just energy transition in Los Angeles. She also manages other energy equity research projects and provides research and communications support across the Center’s research areas, including extreme heat research and the Transformative Climate Communities program evaluation.

In addition to policy research, Lauren has a background in strategic communications, research translation, and community outreach. Prior to joining the Luskin Center full time, she was a graduate student researcher working on the Center’s communications strategy and multiple research projects. Before her time at UCLA, Lauren was the communications specialist at Resources for the Future, a nonprofit environmental policy institute in Washington, DC. Lauren holds a Master of Public Policy with a specialization in Climate Policy and Justice from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rochester.