Sandy Sum

Biography

Sandy is a Ph.D. candidate in economics and environmental science at the Bren School. Her research focuses on the impacts of environmental change on societal wellbeing. She is particularly interested in how climate adaptation and mitigation interact with existing social and economic disparities. Prior to joining UCSB, she was a Research Analyst at the Global Policy Lab at UC Berkeley, where she helped develop quantitative approaches for valuing environmental capital and initiatives for the sustainable development of Māori land in New Zealand. Sandy holds an MA in Economics from UCSB and a BA in Economics from the National University of Singapore. In her free time, Sandy enjoys rock climbing with friends, surfing, and fussing over her house plants.

Research

As an Economics and Environmental Science (EES) student at Bren, Sandy's research seeks to clarify the health and equity impacts of water scarcity and pollution induced by climate change. She hopes to combine diverse datasets and econometric tools to inform environmental policy-making.