Monika Shankar
About Monika's Work
Monika Shankar is a PhD student in Environmental Health Science at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. She graduated with a Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree from the Luskin School of Public Affairs at the University of California Los Angeles in June 2021, with a focused concentration in Environmental Analysis and Policy. Her graduate and professional work is situated at the intersection of environmental health and justice, and urban planning, with a particular emphasis on advancing research and developing policy strategies to address the presence of stationary sources of pollution in vulnerable communities. As a PhD student, she intends to explore the following research questions rooted in a cross-disciplinary approach: Where and at what scale are hazardous facilities located in disadvantaged communities? What are the exposure pathways to pollutants from stationary sources? How are they monitored? What prevention and mitigation strategies could reduce the industrial pollution burden? How can impacted communities get engaged in environmental health practices and policies?
She has over a decade of experience working across the non-profit sector. She began her career as an environmental justice organizer in Newark New Jersey where she focused on environmental planning and community development to address a decades long legacy of poor planning and contamination. Following a move to the west coast, she joined Physicians for Social Responsibility-LA to help the organization launch a new land use program. In 2016, she transitioned to the role of Director of Health & Environment Programs where she oversaw the organization’s Climate, Land Use and Toxic programs. In this role, she employed project management, research, policy advocacy, community engagement and fundraising to advance multiple short and long-term projects that addressed the health and well-being of communities across Los Angeles.
Monika has served on the steering committee of ClimatePlan, the Alliance for Community Transit-LA and the Jordan Downs Environmental Justice Coalition. She is a candidate for the Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award, a Luskin Center for Innovation Field Fellow for Environmental Justice, a Reach the Decision Makers Fellow and a Julie Roque Fellow.