About

Pooja Venkatachalam Kumar is an assistant professor of practice in the School of Art's Illustration, Design & Animation program at the University of Arizona. She is a visual designer with a background that includes a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the SVU College of Engineering in Tirupati, India, and an MFA in illustration and design from the Maryland Institute College of Art, earned in May 2024. Her current project, titled "Reconstruction of Nature without Reference," applies speculative design principles to imagine a future where nature’s form is lost, exploring how to reconstruct nature from bones and fossils filled with junk and plastic. Kumar has been recognized as a finalist in the AIGA Flux Design Competition, shortlisted for the Young Ones ADC and Communication Arts International Illustration Competition, and has received graduate grants and merit scholarships. She has participated in multiple exhibitions and maintains an artist website at poojavkumar.com.

Research topics

• Environmental science
• Ecology
• Biology
• Geography
• Meteorology
• Cartography
• Computer Science
• Environmental engineering
• Environmental resource management
• Geology
• Environmental health
• Economics
• Socioeconomics
• Toxicology
• Medicine
• Psychology
• Environmental planning
• Environmental protection

Selected publications

• Climate change: Strategies for mitigation and adaptation

  The Innovation Geoscience · 2023 · 205 citations

  • Environmental resource management
  • Environmental science
  • Environmental planning

  <p>The sustainability of life on Earth is under increasing threat due to human-induced climate change. This perilous change in the Earth's climate is caused by increases in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, primarily due to emissions associated with burning fossil fuels. Over the next two to three decades, the effects of climate change, such as heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, storms, and floods, are expected to worsen, posing greater risks to human health and global stability. These trends call for the implementation of mitigation and adaptation strategies. Pollution and environmental degradation exacerbate existing problems and make people and nature more susceptible to the effects of climate change. In this review, we examine the current state of global climate change from different perspectives. We summarize evidence of climate change in Earth’s spheres, discuss emission pathways and drivers of climate change, and analyze the impact of climate change on environmental and human health. We also explore strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation and highlight key challenges for reversing and adapting to global climate change.</p>

  DOI

• Green infrastructure for air quality improvement in street canyons

  Environment International · 2020 · 259 citations

  • Environmental science
  • Environmental engineering
  • Geography

  Street canyons are generally highly polluted urban environments due to high traffic emissions and impeded dispersion. Green infrastructure (GI) is one potential passive control system for air pollution in street canyons, yet optimum GI design is currently unclear. This review consolidates findings from previous research on GI in street canyons and assesses the suitability of different GI forms in terms of local air quality improvement. Studies on the effects of various GI options (trees, hedges, green walls, green screens and green roofs) are critically evaluated, findings are synthesised, and possible recommendations are summarised. In addition, various measurement methods used for quantifying the effectiveness of street greening for air pollution reduction are analysed. Finally, we explore the findings of studies that have compared plant species for pollution mitigation. We conclude that the influences of different GI options on air quality in street canyons depend on street canyon geometry, meteorological conditions and vegetation characteristics. Green walls, green screens and green roofs are potentially viable GI options in existing street canyons, where there is typically a lack of available planting space. Particle deposition to leaves is usually quantified by leaf washing experiments or by microscopy imaging techniques, the latter of which indicates size distribution and is more accurate. The pollutant reduction capacity of a plant species largely depends on its macromorphology in relation to the physical environment. Certain micromorphological leaf traits also positively correlate with deposition, including grooves, ridges, trichomes, stomatal density and epicuticular wax amount. The complexity of street canyon environments and the limited number of previous studies on novel forms of GI in street canyons mean that offering specific recommendations is currently unfeasible. This review highlights a need for further research, particularly on green walls and green screens, to substantiate their efficacy and investigate technical considerations.

  DOI

• Designing vegetation barriers for urban air pollution abatement: a practical review for appropriate plant species selection

  npj Climate and Atmospheric Science · 2020 · 327 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Environmental science
  • Ecology

  Abstract Vegetation can form a barrier between traffic emissions and adjacent areas, but the optimal configuration and plant composition of such green infrastructure (GI) are currently unclear. We examined the literature on aspects of GI that influence ambient air quality, with a particular focus on vegetation barriers in open-road environments. Findings were critically evaluated in order to identify principles for effective barrier design, and recommendations regarding plant selection were established with reference to relevant spatial scales. As an initial investigation into viable species for UK urban GI, we compiled data on 12 influential traits for 61 tree species, and created a supplementary plant selection framework. We found that if the scale of the intervention, the context and conditions of the site and the target air pollutant type are appreciated, the selection of plants that exhibit certain biophysical traits can enhance air pollution mitigation. For super-micrometre particles, advantageous leaf micromorphological traits include the presence of trichomes and ridges or grooves. Stomatal characteristics are more significant for sub-micrometre particle and gaseous pollutant uptake, although we found a comparative dearth of studies into such pollutants. Generally advantageous macromorphological traits include small leaf size and high leaf complexity, but optimal vegetation height, form and density depend on planting configuration with respect to the immediate physical environment. Biogenic volatile organic compound and pollen emissions can be minimised by appropriate species selection, although their significance varies with scale and context. While this review assembled evidence-based recommendations for practitioners, several important areas for future research were identified.

  DOI

• Temporary reduction in fine particulate matter due to ‘anthropogenic emissions switch-off’ during COVID-19 lockdown in Indian cities

  Sustainable Cities and Society · 2020 · 280 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Geography
  • Environmental science
  • Socioeconomics

  concentrations, from 19 to 43% (Chennai), 41-53% (Delhi), 26-54% (Hyderabad), 24-36% (Kolkata), and 10-39% (Mumbai). Generally, cities with larger traffic volumes showed greater reductions. Aerosol loading decreased by 29% (Chennai), 11% (Delhi), 4% (Kolkata), and 1% (Mumbai) against 2019 data. Health and related economic impact assessments indicated 630 prevented premature deaths during lockdown across all five cities, valued at 0.69 billion USD. Improvements in air quality may be considered a temporary lockdown benefit as revitalising the economy could reverse this trend. Regulatory bodies must closely monitor air quality levels, which currently offer a baseline for future mitigation plans.

  DOI

Frequent coauthors

• Shi-Jie Cao

  Southeast University

  87 shared

• Christopher C. Pain

  Imperial College London

  69 shared

• Runming Yao

  63 shared

• Lidia Morawska

  63 shared

• Kian Fan Chung

  61 shared

• Claire Dilliway

  Imperial College London

  60 shared

• Sisay Debele

  University of Surrey

  59 shared

• Hisham Abubakar-Waziri

  Imperial College London

  58 shared

Education

• PGCAP (Post Graduate Certificate in Academic Practices), Department of Higher Education

  University of Surrey

  2011

• PhD (Engineering), Department of Engineering

  University of Cambridge

  2009

• MTech (Envionmental Engineering & Management), Civil Engineering

  Indian Institute of Technology Delhi

  2005

• BE (Civil Engineering), Civil Engineering

  Institution of Engineers India

  2002

• Diploma in Civil Engineering, Civil Engineering

  Goverment Polytechnic Ghaziabad

  1998

Awards & honors

• Finalist in the AIGA Flux Design Competition
• Shortlisted for the Young Ones ADC
• Shortlisted for the Communication Arts International Illustr…
• Recognized with graduate grants and merit scholarships

Similar researchers at University of Arizona

• Jean-Luc Brédash-175
• Jeremy Garciah-129
• Noam Chomskyh-123
• Katia Cunhah-115
• Lisa M Rimszah-99