Ellison Milne Carter

Ellison Milne Carter is an Associate Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Colorado State University. She holds a B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in Spanish from Indiana University, with minors in Chemistry. Her M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin focused on environmental and water resources engineering. Her research integrates air quality, exposure science, and chemistry, addressing energy policy and housing/transportation planning's impacts on health. She has conducted field studies in China and India, exploring household energy transitions and air pollution's health effects. Her work emphasizes data-driven approaches to environmental interventions and equitable policy design.

Education:

• Ph.D., 2013, University of Texas at Austin – Civil Engineering
• M.S., 2009, University of Texas at Austin – Civil Engineering
• B.S., 2004, Indiana University – Biology
• B.A., 2004, Indiana University – Spanish

Research focuses on air quality systems, indoor environmental chemistry, and health impacts of energy and housing policies. Her studies span global contexts, including rural China and India, examining solid fuel use, clean energy transitions, and the intersection of environmental justice with socioeconomic factors. She has developed low-cost sensors for long-term PM2.5 monitoring and pioneered frameworks for evaluating residential environmental hazards. Her recent work highlights the role of indoor air quality in public health and pandemic response, including studies on mask efficacy and ventilation strategies.

Her research has addressed policy implications of air pollution exposure in urban and rural settings, linking environmental data to community well-being. Notable projects include analyses of Beijing’s coal ban, household energy efficiency programs, and the cognitive impacts of air pollution. She advocates for interdisciplinary approaches to environmental challenges, combining engineering, public health, and social science perspectives.