Welcome! I am Kayleigh Ward, an environmental sociologist, community engaged researcher, and public health advocate. As a community engagement practitioner, I use my 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.
I received my Dual PhD from the Departments of Sociology and Environmental Science and Policy at Michigan State University. Today I focus 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.
In 2022 I joined the Social Science and Environmental Health Research Institute (SSEHRI) at Northeastern University as part of the Water Equity Team to assist with a variety of projects using community-based participatory methodologies. Our 8 member research team investigated how decisions by US water management agencies affected water inequities and well-being of residents, what the public health consequences of water unaffordability were, and the associations between access to water-based amenities and teenagers’ emotional health. We worked primarily with teen activists and community organizations serving historically Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Boston and the Greater Boston Region.
In 2024 I joined the Cooperative Institute for Research In Environmental Sciences as a member of the Environmental Data Science Innovation & Impact Lab. Here, I am working on a team science project focused on investigating group dynamics, research ethics, open science, and AI. At ESIIL, I am continuing my water work through the H2OPE project.
Associated certifications:
MSU onGEO Professional GIS certificate (Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences)
MSU Community Engagement Certification (University Outreach and Engagement)
UCB Earth Data Analytics Professional Certificate (Department of Geography)
Faculty Developer & Lecturer, Department of Public Health and Health Sciences, Northeastern University
Research Faculty, Cooperative Institute for Research In Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder
Rural Policy Chair, Rural Sociological Society
Board Member, National Center for Frontier Communities
PhD Sociology and Environmental Science and Policy, Michigan State University
Kayleigh Ward 