Rate My Professor Chris Lim

Chris Lim, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona. He holds a BS from Columbia University, an MS from Yale University, a PhD from NYU School of Medicine, and completed postdoctoral training at the Yale School of the Environment. Lim joined the University of Arizona following his postdoctoral work at Yale. His research examines how the environment impacts human health, applying epidemiologic, statistical, and data science methods. Key areas include the health effects of air pollution and climate change, disparities in exposures and associated health outcomes, and the application of low-cost sensor technologies for personal-level exposure assessment, urban air pollution modeling, and community-based environmental justice projects. He leads studies on the health and academic impact of green playground renovations in New York City public schools and the impact of air pollution on pediatric asthma in Tucson schools. Additionally, Lim investigates links between environmental exposures, such as air pollution, greenspaces, and built environments, and health outcomes including cancer incidence and survival.

Lim has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, contributing to the understanding of air pollution's health impacts. Key publications include 'Global estimates of mortality associated with long-term exposure to outdoor fine particulate matter' (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2018), 'Long-term exposure to ozone and cause-specific mortality risk in the United States' (American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2019), 'Mediterranean Diet and the Association between Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Risk' (Circulation, 2019), and 'Toward equitable environmental exposure modeling through convergence of data, open, and citizen sciences: an example of air pollution exposure modeling amidst increasing wildfire smoke' (Environmental Research, 2025). He received the University of Arizona Health Sciences Career Development Award in 2021. Lim has secured major grants, including a $1.6 million National Institutes of Health award to investigate whether air pollution and extreme temperatures increase 911 emergency calls and a $1.2 million grant to study neighborhood environments' possible role in cancer risk. His contributions advance environmental epidemiology and inform strategies for mitigating climate-related health risks.