As a Wall Scholar, Dr. Scholes looks forward to contributing to interdisciplinary efforts to address the combined impacts of climate change and chemical pollution on communities and aquatic ecosystems.
Rachel Scholes
Wall Scholar
Rachel Scholes is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia. Her research group aims to contribute to human and environmental health by identifying and addressing environmental contaminants of concern. Her research program includes understanding the formation of toxic chemical byproducts and assessing the fate of contaminants in the environment and in water treatment systems.
Her group is especially interested in nature-based treatment systems, such as constructed wetlands and bioretention systems, that provide additional benefits including climate change adaptation and supporting biodiversity. Dr. Scholes has conducted research on the environmental fate of organic contaminants as a Hollings Scholar for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and as a Fulbright Graduate Research Fellow in the Chemistry Department at the University of Otago (New Zealand).
She earned an M.S. and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University. Her PhD and postdoctoral research focused on the fate of organic contaminants in constructed wetlands.
Primary Recipient Awards
Rachel Scholes – Wall Scholars – 2022
