Executive Director, PSE Healthy Energy; Associate Researcher, Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, UC Berkeley; Affiliate, Energy Technologies Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Executive Director, PSE Healthy Energy; Associate Researcher, Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, UC Berkeley; Affiliate, Energy Technologies Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Dr. Seth Shonkoff is the executive director of the energy science and policy research institute, PSE Healthy Energy. He is also an associate researcher in the Environmental Health Sciences Division of the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley and an affiliate in the Energy Technologies Area at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. An environmental and public health scientist by training, he has more than 20 years of experience in water, air, climate, and population health research at the energy interface and has published more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and technical reports. Dr. Shonkoff is a widely recognized expert on the human health and climate dimensions of oil and gas systems. He has testified before congress and other decision-making bodies and has led and co-authored multiple high-profile scientific assessments. His work includes the Human Health chapter of The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) and legislated evaluations of oil and gas development, hydraulic fracturing, produced water management and reuse and underground gas storage facilities in the State of California. Dr. Shonkoff sits on a number of science-policy expert panels.
Dr. Shonkoff completed his PhD in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management and his MPH in epidemiology in the School of Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley.
PhD, Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley. Berkeley, CA, USA
MPH (Epidemiology), University of California, Berkeley. Berkeley, CA, USA
BA (Major: Environmental Studies, Minor: Ceramics), Skidmore College. Saratoga Springs, NY, USA
Climate and Health; Oil and Gas Systems; Energy Transitions and Health; Air Pollution; Exposure Assessment; Risk Assessment; Energy and Environmental Policy
- Pioneer Under 40 in Environmental Public Health; Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE) -- July 2017
- Emerging Leader, Emerging Leaders Fund; $270,000, The Claneil Foundation -- April 2014-Present
- Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award, UC Berkeley -- Fall 2012
Expert Committees Served
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Co-Chair (November 2020 – Present), Public Health Expert Panel, California Geologic Energy Management Division, California Department of Conservation, Sacramento, CA. Appointed as the co-chair of an independent public health expert panel to provide subject matter expertise and scientific guidance to the California Geologic Energy management Division (CalGEM) and other California state agencies as they move through a legislated public health rulemaking process to update their regulations to better protect public health during oil and gas development in the State of California pursuant to AB 1057 (Limon, 2019).
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Public Health Expert (October 2019 – January 2020), Baldwin Hills Health Assessment and Environmental Justice Study, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Appointed by the Baldwin Hills Community Advisory Panel of the Inglewood Community Standards District and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to develop the scope and design of a health assessment and environmental justice study for the Baldwin Hills Community Standards District covering the Inglewood Oilfield, Los Angeles, CA.
Chair ( May 2019 – November 2019) , Technical Advisory Committee, Shale health conference, League of Women Voters and University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA . Provided subject matter expertise to advise on speakers and format for a conference on public health and shale gas development.
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Member (April 2019 – Present), Technical Advisory Group, AB 617 Methane Monitoring Project, Imperial County and Eastern Coachella Valley, CA.
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Expert Committee Member, Senate Bill 83 Independent Review Panel for the California Department of Conservation’s Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program, California Environmental Protection Agency and California Natural Resources Agency (February 2018 – Present). Provided expertise on the management, tracking, chemical characterization and public health dimensions of oilfield produced water.
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Expert Committee Member, Food Safety Expert Panel on Oil Field Produced Water for Agricultural Irrigation, California Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Oct 2015 – Present). Provided public health and oil and gas technical expertise and guidance on the issue of the use of oil field produced water for agricultural irrigation.
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Peer-Reviewer, RFA National Priorities: Oil and Gas Development in the Appalachian Basin, United States Environmental Protection Agency (Jan – Feb 2017). Provided public health and oil and gas technical expertise to assess academic proposals for a $2 million award.
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Expert Panel Member, Public Health Advisory Panel on Coal in Oakland (March 2015 – July 2015). Provided environmental public health expertise and scientific guidance on the issue of coal transport, handling, processing, and export.
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Member of the Steering Committee, California Council on Science and Technology Study of Well Stimulation Technologies in California, Senate Bill 4 (SB 4) Study (June 2014 – July 2015). Provided public health and oil and gas development expertise and guidance to report authors at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, The Pacific Institute, and Stanford University.
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Member of the Steering Committee, California Council on Science and Technology Study of Well Stimulation Technologies in California, United States Bureau of Land Management (March 2013 –July 2014). Provided public health and oil and gas development expertise and guidance to report authors; peer review of analysis and writing.
Contact details
Seth B.C. Shonkoff, PhD, MPH
Seth B.C. Shonkoff, PhD, MPH
PSE Healthy Energy
1440 Broadway., Suite 750
Oakland, CA 94612