Yanelli Nunez, PhD, is a scientist at PSE Healthy Energy working at the intersection of energy systems and public health. Her work focuses on evaluating how air pollutants associated with oil and gas infrastructure can translate into real health risks for communities and on making this science accessible.
Dr. Nunez holds a doctorate in Environmental Health Sciences from Columbia University, where her research examined the contribution of long-term exposure to fine particulate matter to neurodegenerative disease and how combined exposure to multiple environmental stressors shapes the full picture of environmental health risk. Her postdoctoral research extended that work to questions of equity, examining disparities in air quality across the United States.
At PSE, Dr. Nunez serves as Scientific Product Lead for the Methane Risk Map, the first tool to integrate methane emissions data, natural gas composition, and regulatory-grade air quality models to estimate and visualize the health risks of hazardous air pollutants released throughout the oil and gas supply chain. This work is part of PSE’s Methane + Health Initiative, which aims to build the scientific foundation that connects natural gas to air quality and health to inform climate action.
Dr. Nunez is the recipient of Columbia University’s I. Bernard Weinstein Award for outstanding academic achievement and promise in public health, and the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology’s Rebecca James Baker Award for scientific excellence, integrity, and commitment to improve public health and quality of life.
