MEDS 2026
Pronouns: she/her
Bio
Leela completed her undergraduate degree in Evolution, Ecology, and Biodiversity from the University of California, Davis (UCD) in 2018. Her interest in data science began at the Department of Water Resources in West Sacramento where she conducted data analysis for long-term monitoring projects, wrote technical reports, and where she first learned how to code. She also worked with the White Abalone Captive Breeding Program at UCD where she was able to expand her interest and skillset with data science, working with data going back to the program's inception and helping to implement clean workflows and reproducible codes. Both positions combined her newfound interest in data science and her already strong passion for environmental science, ultimately leading her to the Master of Environmental Data Science (MEDS) program. She hopes to apply the skills she learns with the MEDS program to meaningful work in environmental justice, restoration and conservation, and projects that can lead directly to positive change in environmental policy. In Leela’s personal time she enjoys playing with her two cats, knitting, and trying out new recipes.