ESIIL Postdoctoral Associate

Kayleigh Ward is an environmental sociologist, community engaged researcher, and public health advocate. As a community engagement practitioner, she use her research to improve the well-being of the communities through a variety of community-vetted interventions. This includes meeting the needs of local partners and residents through projects that center local knowledge to create community-specified and context-specific solutions.

Kayleigh received a Dual PhD from the Departments of Sociology and Environmental Science and Policy at Michigan State University. Today she focuses on equitable utility policies (e.g., affordable water, energy, etc), public policy development, rural community development, and advancing public and environmental health protections for all.

At ESIIL, Kayleigh is working on a team science project focused on investigating group dynamics, research ethics, open science, and AI. She is continuing her water work through the H2OPE project.