Ruth Engel is an Environmental Health and Extreme Heat Data Scientist on the Urban Data & Tools team at the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities. She develops data products and analytical tools to support governments and communities in equitable heat resilience planning. Her work involves geospatial assessments and modeling of microclimates, urban form, and social-ecological systems.

Before joining WRI, Ruth worked as an environmental data scientist at UCLA’s Luskin Center for Innovation. There, she focused on implementing data-informed and stakeholder-engaged policy strategies to mitigate the effects of extreme heat through built environment retrofitting and urban land planning.

Ruth holds a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of California, Los Angeles and a B.A. in Government from Harvard University. Her graduate research explored interactions among land use, urban hydrology, and local heat exposure.

Ruth lives in Los Angeles, CA with her spouse. She enjoys hiking, baking, and crossword puzzles.