As the new semester begins, CIRES welcomes Ellen Considine as its newest Fellow. As a newly minted Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography, Considine brings expertise in environmental health biostatistics, research that combines environmental science and public health with innovative data science, to significantly expand CIRES' capacity for interdisciplinary science across the university. 

Considine’s research sits at the urgent intersection of environmental change and public health—using advanced statistical methods and machine learning and artificial intelligence to answer critical questions like when heat alerts should be issued, where air quality monitoring is most needed, and how policies can change people’s exposure to environmental hazards.

She’s also no stranger to CU Boulder; she studied applied mathematics here as an undergraduate student. After graduating, she pursued a PhD in biostatistics at Harvard. She credits her undergraduate research opportunities for laying the foundation for her current work and research. 

“Since I started as an undergrad at CU I've really been drawn to interdisciplinary research and also data science as a broad toolbox for being able to answer a lot of society’s pressing questions about environmental change and public health,” Considine said. 

Her research has focused broadly on environmental and public health challenges, and she aims to help translate CU Boulder geosciences expertise into social impact through the lens of public health. A theme in her research is taking a step beyond estimating the health impacts of environmental hazards, to informing decision-making on the part of both individuals and institutions. 

“It’s exciting to welcome Dr. Considine as a CIRES Faculty Fellow in the Department of Geography,” said Waleed Abdalati, CIRES director. “Her work in environmental public health coupled with data science will be an excellent contribution to CU Boulder’s reputation in interdisciplinary science and research.” 

Considine’s return to CU Boulder creates powerful opportunities for collaboration. As an undergrad intern in CIRES’ Earth Lab,  she worked with Associate Professor of Geography Colleen Reid to research the health impacts of wildfire smoke. Now, she’s eager to expand her connections and collaborations with CIRES Fellows and other interdisciplinary scientists like Jennifer Balch and Katherine Siegel. 

She’s also excited to partner with Fellows Kris Karnauskas, an oceans and climate scientist who has expanded into the climate & health space, and Joost de Gouw, an international expert on air quality, to identify and advance pragmatic and just solutions to a variety of climate-related public health challenges..

At Harvard, Considine expanded her Earth Lab wildfire research while launching new projects. She used reinforcement learning, a branch of AI, to propose a more health-protective heat alert issuance strategy in the U.S. and studied how global plastic waste export and waste burning affected air quality in Indonesia after China shut down recycling imports in 2018—work that demonstrates her ability to tackle complex, policy-relevant environmental health challenges.

Along the way, Considine has nabbed several awards. A National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship supported her doctoral research. As an undergraduate student at CU Boulder, she received the College of Engineering and Applied Science’s Outstanding Undergraduate Award. She also volunteered extensively with Engineers Without Borders’ Nepal team and chapter board.  

This semester, Considine will supplement her research while teaching an introductory statistics and geographic data course. In the future she hopes to teach more classes in applied statistics, GIS, and environmental health. Considine is also an affiliate of CU Boulder’s new public health bachelor’s program—strenghtening connections between CIRES research and public health.

Returning to CU Boulder feels like a homecoming—Considine grew up in Boulder. She is excited to reconnect with her family and favorite outdoor activities like hiking and biking. She also looks forward to attending free College of Music events like the Faculty Tuesday series.

Next steps include meeting and networking with CIRES researchers over the next year, while sharing her unique perspective and expertise in environmental health biostatistics. 

“I’m excited to bring my public health and data science knowledge to CIRES, a world-class geosciences institute, as well as to give back to the CU Boulder community,” Considine said.