Dr. Rauser is the director of the UCLA Sustainable LA Grand Challenge. She has extensive experience strategically developing and funding major research and training programs across campus, and formerly worked abroad building partnerships among private companies, local and national government and the community to create a public-private nature preserve in the tropics. In her current position, Dr. Rauser is working to advance a campus-led Grand Challenge project at UCLA to transform Los Angeles into the first fully sustainable megacity in the areas of energy, water, and ecosystem health. She is using her demonstrated ability to build relationships and forge collaborations among diverse groups to identify challenges specific to the LA region, and implement solutions with the goal of creating a more equitable and livable world.
Projects
Heat Resilient L.A.
Heat Resilient L.A. will over the next two years determine where and when people moving around the city are most vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat — a problem being caused by climate change — and assess which communities most need cooling interventions.