Rate My Professor Monica Ramirez-Andreotta

Mónica Ramírez-Andreotta is a Professor and University Distinguished Scholar of Environmental Science at The University of Arizona, holding joint appointments as Associate Professor in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health’s Division of Community, Environment and Policy and in Global Change. She earned her Ph.D. in Soil, Water and Environmental Science from The University of Arizona in 2012, an M.P.A. in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University in 2004, a B.A. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from The University of Arizona, and a B.A. in Studio Art from The University of Arizona. After her doctorate, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship with a medical sociologist at Northeastern University, deepening her expertise in interdisciplinary environmental health research.

Dr. Ramírez-Andreotta’s research specializes in transdisciplinary citizen science, low-cost environmental monitoring tools, fate and transport of contaminants in plant-soil systems, risk communication strategies, and environmental health in justice communities. As Principal Investigator of The University of Arizona Superfund Research Program’s Research Translation Core, she leads initiatives like Gardenroots and Project Harvest, enabling communities to assess arsenic uptake in vegetables, metal(loid) exposures in rainwater, soil, and dust near Superfund sites. Her career at The University of Arizona progressed from Assistant Professor in Soil, Water and Environmental Science to her current professorship. Major awards include the 2023 University Distinguished Scholar Award, 2019 AAAS Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science, NIEHS Karen Wetterhahn Memorial Award, Explorers Club 50, and 2025 NIH Environmental Justice Scholar. Key publications feature Alqattan et al. (2026) 'Compounding hazards posed by wildfires, flooding, and resource extraction' in Environment International; Alqattan et al. (2025) 'Lead source apportionment and climatic impacts' in Environmental Research; Chukwuonye et al. (2025) 'Metal(loid) concentrations in drinking water' in Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences; and Palawat & Ramírez-Andreotta (2025) 'Plant and soil contaminant modeling' in Journal of Environmental Management. She has influenced the field through TEDxUArizona talks, keynotes at national conferences, symposia on equity in citizen science, and founding roles in diversity working groups, fostering community-academic partnerships and advancing environmental health literacy.