Meet the Team
Faculty spotlight
Dr. Miguel Zavala
[email protected]
Dr. Miguel Zavala is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health at San Diego State University Imperial Valley. He received his Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(M.I.T.) and a M.Sc. in Environmental Sciences from the Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico. His research topics include air quality modeling, low cost community air sensors, emissions inventory development, source apportionment, air toxics monitoring, characterizing personal exposure and health disparities within local communities, assessing the pollution impacts of US-Mexico Ports of Entry, and others.
His expertise includes the application of air quality models for understanding the physical and chemical processes that drive air pollution and the estimation of air quality and public health impacts, the evaluation of criteria, air toxics, and greenhouse gasses emissions inventories,
evaluation of air quality management programs, and analysis of meteorological processes that control air pollution.
Dr. Devrim Kaya
[email protected]
Dr. Kaya holds a Ph.D., M.Sc., and B.Sc. in Environmental Engineering, along with post-doctoral trainings in Microbiology and Environmental Engineering. She specializes in Water-Energy-Food-Climate nexus and its impact on Public Health. Since 2002, she has addressed environmental and public health issues, utilizing engineering, microbiology, chemistry, -omic technologies, and AI/ML. Her areas of expertise include environmental surveillance; wastewater-based epidemiology; water treatment and reuse; bioremediation of contaminated sites; risk assessment; characterization-fate-transport of contaminants, including pathogens in various environments; anaerobic digestion; environmental microbiology; development of molecular tools and analytical methods. Throughout her academic career, Dr. Kaya has mentored and supported students, fostering safe and inclusive research environments to empower students in accomplishing their professional goals. Awarded for research and mentoring, including OSU's 2022 Excellence Award in Undergraduate Research Mentoring, NIH's AIM-AHEAD Research Fellowship Mentorship, the ASM Peggy Cotter Early Career Award, and NSF ACADEME fellowship. She is an active member of several professional organizations, including the Society of Women Engineers, the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors, American Society for Microbiology, and the International Water Association. programs, and analysis of meteorological processes that control air pollution.
Assistant Professor
Dr. Linda R. Lara-Jocobo
[email protected]
Dr. Lara-Jacobo holds a Ph.D. in
Toxicogenomics from the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Quebec, Canada. Linda has more than ten years of research, teaching, and mentoring experience, including work with indigenous and rural communities.
Her work aims to connect health, environment, gender equality, social inclusion, and diversity towards a sustainable future. She’s also a member of the HB Women in STEMM Leadership program, acting against climate change on a global scale by observing its effects in Antarctica and increasing women’s
leadership. In 2021, she received the Hispanic Women of the Year Merit
Award (QC, Canada).
Assistant Professor
Dr. Kai-Chung Cheng
[email protected]
Dr. Kai-Chung Cheng is joining SDSU
Imperial Valley and the San Diego State
University School of Public Health in
January 2023. He received his Ph.D.
degree in Civil and Environmental
Engineering at Stanford University. His
research focuses on developing monitoring and modeling technologies for air quality and human exposure assessments.
He is interested in using wireless sensing
and machine-learning approaches to
identify and characterize air pollution emissions. Being a new faculty member at SDSU-IV, he looks forward to working with local communities in Imperial Valley, using engineering methods to help address
environmental disparities.
