2025 EnviroDay Keynote Speaker – Dr. Claudia Christine E. Avila.
Dr. Claudia Christine E. Avila is a soil biogeochemist currently positioned at the
University of San Diego. Her passion for soils originates from her familial roots, growing
up as a daughter of an avid gardener and granddaughter to farmers. She found her love
for science at Riverside Community College and later transferred to UC Riverside where
she received her bachelor’s in Environmental Science. Dr. Avila continued at UCR and
obtained her Ph.D. researching carbon sequestration in agricultural soils. She was a
fellow of the inaugural cohort of the Stanford Earth Postdoctoral Fellowship,
investigating wildfire-driven transformations of inorganic contaminants in soils.
Dr. Avila is an interdisciplinary researcher, and some of her most prominent research
revolves around human activity impacting the components of soil. She notes that “she
uses soil biogeochemistry as a tool, her central research focus is environmental justice
and aims to build community around identifying and resolving issues at the intersection
of people and environment and to understand the role that soils play in society.”
Check out her website here and learn more about her growing Xingona Dirt Science
Lab!
Check out Dr. Avila’s research website and learn more about our 2025 EnviroDay speaker by clicking >> here!