Towards the end of May, our UC Davis Environmental Policy and Management policy clinic group, in collaboration with California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigation (CalCOFI) and California Sea Grant, traveled to San Diego, CA. We headed to the 2026 CalCOFI Conference on ‘A Decade of Remarkable Change: Heatwaves, HABs, Hypoxia, and Other Ocean Changes off the California Coast.’ This trip allowed us to share the culmination of our research on practical recommendations for marine climate resilience and refugia in California. We heard and discussed the intense impacts of climate change on California’s marine ecosystems, showcasing the need for policy and management action. We engaged with researchers working towards goals aligned with our recommendations, further inspiring us to continue protecting California’s waters.
In April 2026, we - a group of UC Davis students from the Environmental Policy and Management (EPM) Graduate Group, in partnership with American Rivers, headed to Washington, D.C.. This trip was the culmination of six months of research, with the intention to share our findings with congressional staff during “Water Week” - a week dedicated to water policy advocacy in D.C.
Pablo Busch graduated from the EPM program in June 2022, continuing his studies at UC Davis by joining the PhD program in Energy Systems. Prior to that, he obtained an industrial and environmental engineering degree in 2016 from the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. After obtaining his PhD degree in June 2025, he joined the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability as a postdoctoral scholar, working on research to support a clean energy transition and a sustainable future.
Nicole (Nico) Naylor is a second-year EPM student, who has been working as the EPM outreach and administration student assistant. Nico specializes in Conservation Management and Environmental Data Science, but strives to be a well-rounded interdisciplinary environmental professional with experience in managing outreach, event planning, and administration. They grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, where they attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham, studying biology, with minors in chemistry and art studio. After working in a series of laboratory-based jobs, Nico wanted to pivot their career into the environmental field. With aspirations in the interdisciplinary, from event planning as a Resident Assistant to their art studio minor, UC Davis has allowed Nico to gain additional skills in policy, outreach, event planning, science communication, and administrative coordination, through new positions like the Event Planner for EPM’s Social Committee, the 2025 Annual One Health Symposium Planning Committee, and their current position as an outreach assistant in EPM. Outside of those responsibilities, Nico enjoys spending time reading, painting, playing games, and enjoying a good movie.
Dulles Hanula is finishing up his second year in the UC Davis EPM program, specializing in Sustainable Agriculture and Water Resources Management. He grew up in Pasadena, California before heading to New York to attend Fordham University, where he studied Political Science and International Political Economy with a minor in Environmental Studies. After working in different politically adjacent jobs like public relations and campaigning, he wanted to pivot his career to incorporate outside interests to become a more well-rounded professional. In his time at Davis, he has expanded his technical skills while getting involved in new things outside of academics. When he isn’t in the classroom, he spends his time gardening, playing soccer, hiking and enjoying the outdoors.
During Winter Quarter, 2026, a group of current Environmental Policy & Management students and alumni had the opportunity to teach ENV 290: Environmental Ethics & Action at UC Davis. Designed as a seminar-style course, ENV 290 created space for students to slow down and engage deeply with complex environmental questions, while thinking critically about the values that shape their work.
The EPM Social Committee hosted its annual spring celebration, Legacy Night. This year’s theme was inspired by coastal California, with the ever-changing but persevering ocean reflecting the strengths of our very own students!
The Graduate Program of Environmental Policy and Management (EPM) with sponsorship from the UC Davis Institute of the Environment hosted the third-annual Environmental Employer Showcase and Networking Evening (formerly known as the Environmental Internship and Job Fair). This event brought together 20 diverse organizations located in the Sacramento and Bay Areas and over 200 students from more than 20 undergraduate and graduate programs across campus.
I am originally from France and came to UC Davis as a graduate student and earned a PhD in Atmospheric Science many years ago. I then spent nine years as a researcher at MIT, working in an interdisciplinary research center that brings together climate scientists, economists, policy experts, engineers, and ecologists to develop and use integrated models to examine how humans impact the climate system and how climate change affects society and the environment.
It is officially recruitment season! Each year, the Graduate Program of Environmental Policy and Management (EPM) hosts an Admitted Student Open House, welcoming prospective students from across the country to campus to learn why they should choose UC Davis.
Anna is a second year EPM student specializing in Sustainable Systems. She currently works with the National Stewardship Action Council advocating for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation and policies that advance a circular economy. She hopes to use the skills she’s learned in EPM to advocate for and implement policies that hold waste generators accountable for the end of life management of environmentally hazardous products & advance climate change mitigation strategies.
Ambar compiled Tokai Carbon GE (TCGE)’s Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) inventory and crafted a decarbonization roadmap with GHG reduction pathways utilizing alternative energy and innovative technologies. He also helped streamline TCGE’s ESG (environmental, social, and governance) reporting by redesigning their ESG Scorecard.
Shivam Gandhi is a current second year in the EPM program, with his courses focusing on air quality, community development, and the interface between science and policy. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from CSU Stanislaus, and a Master’s in Chemistry from Virginia Tech. Since Fall 2024, he has been an intern at Sacramento Breathe in the Food Scraps & Recycling program, focusing on implementation of SB 1383. As well, he is also a graduate student researcher with Dr.
EcoFarm is one of the oldest and largest gatherings of organic farmers and food policy advocates in the U.S. The 46th EcoFarm Conference was a sanctuary that paid reverence to the lands we steward, the seeds we sow, and the communities we shepherd. This years’ theme - Seeds of Strength: Empowering Farmers for a Changing Climate - was a space to imagine new landscapes of cooperation and reimagine wounded systems. Carlton Turner’s opening plenary speech traced the evolving relationship between food, place, memory, and community.
In the summer of 2025, four EPM graduate students put what they’ve learned in the classroom into practice — collaborating with community-based organizations to produce research, policy briefs, and other useful deliverables that could move the needle on some of the most persistent inequities in transportation planning. Their experiences reveal what environmental justice work looks like up close, and why it matters.
