Agents of Change launches the Fellows in Residence program

Meet the senior fellows that will hone their communication and public engagement skills.

The Agents of Change program, a partnership between EHN and Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, is excited to announce the Agents of Change Fellows in Residence Program.


During this past year we have been reflecting on our accomplishments with the five Agents of Change cohorts. After five years of training the next generation of impactful environmental health researchers, we decided it was time to deepen our work and reinvest in our existing community. The unprecedented changes in the fields of public health, environmental protection and climate science we’ve seen this year – which directly impacts the careers and livelihoods of many Agents of Change fellows – has underscored the importance of providing our community with the knowledge, skills, networks, and social capital necessary to navigate this complex landscape.

As a result, we are launching the Fellows in Residence program.

Our reimagined fellowship is an effort to deepen our impact on decision-making and provide additional support to six senior Agents of Change fellows in their path towards creating more impactful research.

A reimagined future

This new initiative will build and strengthen alliances and collaborations with other programs, institutions and media organizations, provide support and network to help fellows navigate opportunities where they and their research can lead conversations in their respective fields, amplify our fellows’ expertise and help them develop community and policy products that will be incorporated into decision-making.

The Fellows in Residence program gathers Senior Agents of Change fellows who will participate in key networking opportunities through webinars, personalized mentorship opportunities, and more.

They will also have the opportunity to work on an individualized communication campaign to broaden the impact of their research. In this new era, fellows in residence will pick and choose different deliverables such as op-eds, fact sheets, policy briefs, science snippet videos, or more, that align with their current work and interests.

Our fellows in residence

Meet our fellows in residence in the slideshow below. Click on right or left side of each photo to move forward or backwards.

Ufuoma Ovienmhada (2024 fellow; Cohort 5)

Dr. Ufuoma Ovienmhada is a Baker Endowed Postdoctoral Research Associate in Climate Change and Human Resiliency at the University of Arizona. Ufuoma is an engineer by education, and environmental justice geographer by training, generating data-driven actionable insights about the environmental burdens experienced by marginalized identities in the United States. Her current work focuses on communities impacted by incarceration and the climate crisis.

About Agents of Change 

Founded in 2020 by Dr. Ami Zota of Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Agents of Change has become one of the premiere national fellowships focused on increasing science communication and public engagement among early career scientists from backgrounds that haven’t been prioritized in science and academia.

Our fellows have published 62 essays, which are freely available in English and Spanish, and have reached 1.7 million readers (around 200,000 readers in Spanish). Our podcast — where we dive into the career paths and big ideas from fellows and other leaders in the field — has reached more than 80,000 listeners annually on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and SoundCloud.

Keep in touch

Want to keep on top of the program and the fellows' work? Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on BlueSky, Instagram and LinkedIn. Learn more about current and senior fellows at agentsofchangeinej.org.

wind turbines in a row in a dry environment under white clouds and blue sky during daytime

Growth of wind and solar keeping fossil power in check

Surging wind and solar additions are meeting all of this year’s growth in global electricity demand, keeping fossil fuel use flat for the first time since the pandemic.

A row of data towers inside a data center

Manitoba’s AI data center push, explained

Manitoba — home of much hydro power and notoriously cold winters — says it’s perfectly positioned for a data center boom. Here’s what that means for the province.

A green and black northern leopard frog sitting in water

Can an imperiled frog stop oil drilling near Denver suburbs? Residents hope so

Threatened northern leopard frogs found near a proposed 32-well pad outside Aurora have become a central factor in residents’ push to block one of Colorado’s largest fossil fuel projects.

A garden shed with a patio in front of it

'I heat my Essex home with a data center in the shed'

An British couple testing a data-center-powered heating system say their energy costs have plummeted after replacing their gas boiler with a HeatHub that repurposes warmth generated by hundreds of mini-computers.

A husky dog with blue eyes on  leash looking away from the camera

The climate paradox of having a dog

My dog contributes to climate change. I love him anyway.
EPA administrator Lee Zeldin speaking with attendees at The People's Convention at Huntington Place in Detroit, Michigan.
Credit: Gage Skidmore/https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/ Creative Commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Chemical giant, climate skeptics vie for seats on EPA science panel

The Science Advisory Board could influence the Trump administration's plans to revisit a host of regulations.
Cutting board adorned with fresh vegetables and fruit

Nutritionist Marion Nestle weighs in on 'What to Eat Now'

Marion Nestle says we need to rethink how we eat. She recommends "real food, processed as little as possible, with a big emphasis on plants." Her new book is What to Eat Now.
From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.