Principal Investigator
Jianyong Wu (he/his)
Dr. Wu joined the College of Public Health at Ohio State University in 2023. He received a Ph.D. in Environmental Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in Analytics from Georgia Institute of Technology. Before moving to Ohio, he was a senior data scientist at a company in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and an instructional associate at Georgia Institute of Technology. He has broad interests and experience in environmental health, spatial epidemiology, infectious diseases, statistical modeling, and data science.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Yanni Cao (she/her)
Yanni is an ecological geographer who earned her Ph.D. in Human Geography from the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2021. She then completed two years of postdoctoral training at the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, followed by an additional year of postdoctoral research in the Department of Geography at the University of Hong Kong. In August 2024, she joined Ohio State University (OSU).
Yanni is deeply interested in the spatial distribution of ecological environments and their relationship to human benefits. Her previous research focused on the coupling and coordination between ecosystem patterns, ecosystem services, and urbanization, as well as socio-economic development. At OSU, her research will focus on the spatial distribution of ecological and socio-economic environments and their impact on human health. Yanni is passionate about uncovering the mechanisms by which the environment affects human health, aiming to provide effective theoretical support for public health policy. She believes that her research holds significant value and meaning for the socio-economic development of human society.
Emma Lancaster (she/her)
Emma is a postdoctoral researcher within the Division of Environmental Health Sciences, College of Public Health. She completed her BS and BA in Environmental Science and Biology at the University of Cincinnati, before completing her PhD in Environmental Health Sciences at The Ohio State University. Emma’s research employs an interdisciplinary approach, integrating microbiology, metagenomics, epidemiology and geospatial analysis to characterize environmental quality and its relation to human health. Her work focuses on wastewater-based epidemiology of COVID-19, the human gut microbiome and community health, freshwater cyanobacterial exposure and associated neurodegenerative risks such as Alzheimer’s disease, the water quality and microbiomes of urban stormwater systems, and environmental drivers of infectious disease dynamics.
Doctoral Student
Yuyang Han (she/her)
Yuyang Han is a first-year Ph.D. student in the Environmental Science Graduate Program (ESGP) at The Ohio State University, specializing in public health. She earned both her B.S. and M.S. from the University of California San Diego. As an undergraduate, she studied Environmental Systems with a focus on environmental chemistry, and she completed her master’s in Climate Science and Policy at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Yuyang’s research interests lie at the intersection of environmental conditions, such as green space, open space, and other built and natural settings, and their impacts on public health.
Master Student
Ria Martins (she/her)
Ria is a current master’s student at Ohio State University studying Environmental Sciences with a focus on Public Health. She earned her undergraduate degree at the City University of Hong Kong in Biological Sciences and Sustainability, during which her interest in the interaction between humans and the environment took root. At OSU, her research centers on the One Health framework, exploring how environmental factors and human health intersect. This includes investigating the impact of terrain on humans, animals, and plants, and studying disease transmission through wastewater. Ria believes that combining public health with the environment is key to effectively addressing a variety of health issues faced by vulnerable communities.
Outside of her academic pursuits, Ria enjoys exploring hiking trails and spending time in nature as a reminder of our interconnectedness with the environment.
MPH Student
Shannon Pothier (she/her)
Shannon is a graduate student at OSU pursuing a Master’s Degree in Public Health (Environmental Science), with a Certificate in Clinical Research Management. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Nursing at Marquette University in 2018 and worked for 7 years as a registered nurse in urban Milwaukee, WI. She has cared for many patients who have been negatively impacted by environmental toxins and exposures, and has cared for a large number of patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Shannon’s research interests include how environmental hazards can contribute to neurological disease such as Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, as well as Creutzfeldt Jakob disease. She is also interested in positive environmental effects as a method of treatment for these diseases, such as the positive impact of green spaces on dementia patients.
Undergraduate Student
Yingren Deng
Siman Chen
Zhengyu Wang
Alumni
Undergraduate Student
Nancy Zhu
Recipient, 2025 Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP), The Ohio State University
Research Associate
Yun Liu
Yun is currently a Research Associate at Ohio State University. She holds a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Chicago and a master’s degree in environmental engineering from Tongji University. Yun is passionate about applying data, algorithms, and advanced computational techniques to address environmental challenges, including climate change, sustainability, and energy transitions.
Master Student
Smita Parajuli (she/her)
Smita was born and raised in Pokhara, Nepal. She relocated to Kathmandu during her undergraduate studies, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health from Pokhara University. Following her graduation, she worked in various roles, including serving as a consultant for MedECUBE and working as a case identification and contact tracing officer under the Department of Health Services. In 2023, she completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Dietetics and Public Health Nutrition from Tribhuvan University. Following her graduation, she joined the OSU as a graduate student in the Department of Public Health (epidemiology). Her current research is focused on understanding the relationship between environmental factors and chronic diseases. In her free time, Smita enjoys experimenting with new recipes and traveling.