Broadening horizons with Dr. Anjuli Jain Figueroa

 MISTI got in touch with alum Dr. Anjuli Jain Figueroa to see how her MISTI experience has impacted her career path in energy justice. She graduated from MIT with a master's in Technology and Policy and a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering. 

Opinions expressed here do not reflect the views or opinions of her employer, the United States Department of Energy.

Amanda Soh: Hello! Could you please introduce yourself. What were you at MIT for and what your grad studies was in?

Anjuli Jain Figueroa: My name is Anjuli Jain Figueroa. When I was at MIT I did a master's in science and technology and policy program. And then I did a PhD in the civil and environmental engineering program primarily focused on water resources and studying the relationship between water and food production.

Amanda Soh: What do you do now?

Anjuli Jain Figueroa: I'm currently a federal civil servant in the Department of Energy.

Amanda Soh: Could you tell us a little bit about what your work entails?

Anjuli Jain Figueroa: I still do research. I primarily work under the umbrella of energy justice. We try to make energy more accessible, affordable, and clean. My group studies these aspects and how energy systems affect different populations, with a focus on vulnerable or marginalized populations. So we look at impacts like energy bills all the way to climate change. So quite broad.

Amanda Soh: You've done multiple MISTI programs. What did you do?

Anjuli Jain Figueroa: I participated in at least three. One was traveling to Mexico with the Clubes de Ciencia. This was a teaching experience, in which I designed a course that could be taught in an intensive way over a week primarily focused on water treatment. It was a  lab experience to look at water treatment as well as visit a local treatment plant in Mexico.

That was really cool to see, because the technologies that I was familiar with in the US are slightly different than what they were using there. It was really great to work with the young students, most of them doing their masters, but some even still in their undergrad.

During my PhD, I also went to India. That was more part of my field work for my research. I went to ICRISAT [International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics]  in India, which is a research institute that has experimental agricultural fields.

The greatest aspect was being able to go to the actual fields outside of ICRISAT and talk to farmers and understand some of the decisions they were making with respect to the type of crop they were growing, the type of pesticide or chemicals they were using, and the type of farming and subsistence farming that was present there, and this was funding through J-WAFS and MISTI.

I had the final experience, which was all MISTI-funded when I went to Peru. I went to Lima also to teach. I taught in partnership with a professor at the National University of Engineering. She was doing research on nanoparticles that could be used for water treatment and my area was to help with the engineering design of small buoys that could hold these nanoparticles to treat water in-situ, either water that had been naturally impacted by heavy, rare earth elements, or places that concentrate them like mines. It was a cool project, and I think the best part there was working with the students.
 

Anjuli at the Cantalloc Aqueducts (Puquios) that were built by the Nazca culture about 1,500 years ago

The Cachipozo which translates to saltwater spring

I got to really dive into the history of water management, so I looked at some of the cultures that exist in Peru that had had water impacts. But this is going way back like looking at the Nazca and the Inca to understand how they dealt with conditions like drought.

Amanda Soh: Wow! That sounds really cool. Now, you got me curious. What led you to step away from campus and go abroad, because not many Phd students would want to walk away from their research or what they're working at MIT.

Anjuli Jain Figueroa: I think I've always just been curious about how different cultures approach the same problem. And in particular, climate and water, it just is so crucial to life, but impacts everybody in some of the same ways, and so much of my work is computational. I do a lot of modeling and a lot of research that really uses data from particular locations. But I didn't have to be at the location, and that was kind of what motivated me to try to find an opportunity to do some actual field work, to be able to see with my own eyes my own experience, what it is that I was studying with this data that I had, and that's always been interesting to be able to compare with the observations from instrument versus what you feel when you're in that location.

I've also always really enjoyed teaching, and so many of the experiences that I mentioned are about teaching and sharing what I know. But then, also, it gives you a chance to learn from what other cultures know like in Mexico. Looking at these water treatment plants that aerate just by letting the water drop through a bunch of stairs instead of having to use electromechanical systems. And so that was pretty cool to see.

Amanda Soh: How did the MISTI programs play a part in your career path? Was there a crucial moment where it clicked and you are led towards a specific career path for yourself?

Anjuli Jain Figueroa: The MISTI programs gave me a broader horizon to compare these issues. When you do a Phd, you're really specializing. But for me a lot of things ended up opening the door toward more areas. I came in as a water resource engineer and then really looked at sustainable agriculture. And then, as I moved into a postdoc and then into my career here, I've really looked at the links between our different systems—our energy system, or water system, and our food system.

Being able to participate in a program gave me some international exposure and some very varied ones. India is quite different from Peru and Mexico but also even through times being able to look at these different cultures—the Aztecs in Mexico and the Incas in Peru. It gives you a longer perspective on the problem that you're trying to study and connects those people for you in time and in place, and I think that that has been really useful for me just generally.

Amanda Soh: Do you have any advice for anyone who is in this field of environmental sustainability to make an impact locally or abroad.

Anjuli Jain Figueroa: I came into a lot of the climate aspect, seeing it from the water side, which is where you see a lot of the impact, Like flooding, drought, and sometimes seesawing. But if you're looking at it from like what the water industry can do. You're somewhat limited which is why I moved into energy where a lot of the levers for change might exist.

I would suggest or advise people to really look at those connections of where is it that you see an impact versus a lever? Where is it that you have a lever for change? I think sometimes the change is much more systemic. We're seeing it now in governance, I think, having some exposure to different branches, like financial aspects. So being able to connect those is really key. There are some companies that have been doing that– being able to describe what the financial impact of climate change is can really move. People being able to describe what the lever from the energy side can be to prevent impacts on food on prices on water.

I would also advise being cognizant of our decisions. There are small changes in diets, and what we purchase that can make a big impact. And although I don't think the burden should beon the consumer. I do think it's a small part to be able to play. And just being aware of that. So getting involved, learning what you can from what's connected to what, and then, being cognizant of decisions.

Amanda Soh: Thank you. That question was also for me. I know you mentioned a little bit about your experiences professionally. But were there any ones that stood out that were memorable during your MISTI experiences.

Anjuli Jain Figueroa: Something that was common across a few of the places I visited, was working with students, and that was really memorable. I have maintained friendships with a lot of them and have seen them grow in their careers. You get to see a student that you were teaching become a professor or a professional. That's been very exciting to watch, and then to have them reach out to you is always a lot of fun. So it keeps those kinds of connections with the people that you've met through that experience. It was also very memorable. Another memorable item is when I did get to go see these ancient cultures, both in Mexico and Peru, and just see the similarities, but also the differences. 

Amanda Soh: Why should someone gift to MISTI?

Anjuli Jain Figueroa: I really do think it enriches the students' experience. I think even in situations where I was teaching, I was feeling like I was doing a lot more learning myself. It really takes you out of your bubble. You get a whole new perspective, and when you come back you see your bubble in a new way, too. So there are things that we take for granted, or that we don't notice. hen you're pulled out of your element, and made to observe a different one. You come back and you observe your in a whole new way. So I think it really does open your eyes to just a different lens and then that's a tool in your tool belt. You get to use that as you compare and contrast. I really do advocate these experiences, especially in that kind of crucial time when you're doing a lot of learning

Amanda Soh: Why should PhD students do a MISTI?

Anjuli Jain Figueroa: I think there's two reasons. One, if you're thinking of teaching, it makes you teach in a different context. So the students come at it from a different perspective. You have to rethink how you develop your own curriculum for those local issues. If you're thinking more of your research again, it connects you with something like, if you're doing computation or studying a group of people or studying a place. You get to actually see it, and because you're studying it, you're going to be observing it from an academic lens. But once you're there, you're also living it. That it really puts you into the very thing that you're trying to study. I think that's a cool experience.

Amanda Soh: Thank you. And what's one word to describe your MISTI experience?

Anjuli Jain Figueroa: I'll hyphenate it, because I do think it was very eye-opening.

Opinions expressed here do not reflect the views or opinions of her employer, the United States Department of Energy.

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