God’sgift Nkechi Chukwuonye

God'sgift Chukwuonye is a second year Environmental Science PhD student. She is a first-generation Nigerian student who hopes to utilize her research to bridge the gap between science, policy, and community engagement especially for black, indigenous, and marginalized communities. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Plant Biology and Biotechnology from the University of Benin, Nigeria and her master’s degree in Environment and Development from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, United Kingdom. Her research interest intersects environmental contamination and public health using an environmental justice lens. This area of inquiry is inspired by growing up in the oil-rich communities of Niger-Delta where the lands, water and air have been negatively impacted by mineral exploration, resulting in eroded health conditions for communities living around. Her PhD research focuses on such parallel resource-rich communities in Arizona with active and legacy mining activities, seeking to understand how their proximity to these point sources of pollution in the face of a changing climate might impact environmental quality, public health, and individual and community level resiliencies. For her research, she employs a community science approach, working together with communities to understand their unique environmental challenges, co-create knowledge and share back the results of her research through community events to help improve public health and environmental literacy. The aim of all the work she does as a scientist is to ensure that people are safe regardless of their economic status, race, or zip code. She is driven by her personal background, passion, and eagerness to continue to make the world a healthier, less contaminated place for everyone through her PhD research and her professional career afterwards.