Bio

Naia is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the IRES, working with Professor David R. Boyd, and an active member and ongoing collaborator of the Better Planet Laboratory at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Her research operates at the intersection of data science, environmental justice, and environmental human rights. She uses quantitative methods and geospatial modeling to examine the pathways by which climate change and environmental degradation drive resulting social inequities. Applying this methodological approach, her work spans several themes, including the environmental impacts of toxic pollution, climate change impacts on agricultural laborers, and the role of rural infrastructure in alleviating poverty.

At IRES, she is primarily focusing on this first theme by developing novel methods to map toxic contamination sites, such as those from artisanal mining and informal lead-acid battery recycling, using satellite data.

A central thread in Naia’s work is translating this kind of complex data into practical, usable tools for organizations on the ground. This applied approach has led to collaborations with international bodies including Amnesty International, Bridges to Prosperity, CGIAR and UNHCHR.