Rachel Connolly is project director for air quality and environmental equity research with the Luskin Center for Innovation at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, and a staff researcher in the Environmental Health Sciences department within the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Rachel started working with the Center as a Master’s student in 2017. Her research focuses on the intersection of air quality and environmental justice, and her work with the Center lies primarily within the transportation and environmental equity initiatives. She has collaborated on projects involving the evaluation of environmental incentive programs, with regards to increasing access to environmental amenities for underserved populations, as well as quantitative health impact assessments utilizing environmental health methods. In collaboration with the Fielding School, she works on projects focused on the health impacts associated with urban green space access and exposure to climate hazards, such as wildfires and extreme heat.

Rachel received her Ph.D. in Environmental Health Sciences from UCLA in 2023. She also has an M.S. degree in Environmental Health Sciences from UCLA and a B.S. degree in Environmental Science from UC Berkeley. Rachel also works part-time as a Health Sciences consultant with a large consulting, engineering, and design firm.