Meet the Team Behind the Science
Our Staff
Mariela Alaniz
Research Data Analyst
Mariela is a UC Davis alumna with a BS in Environmental Toxicology and a minor in Statistics. She returned to school to pursue an MS in Biostatistics at California State University-East Bay where she discovered a passion for data analysis and statistical programming in health care. It's always been Mariela's goal to work in a field where she can give back by helping others, and she is happy she's found a job doing that.
Outside of work, Mariela likes to spend time with family and her beagle, read non-fiction, and write poetry.
[email protected] | Contact Mariela for COVID-19 and wildfire research.
Jennifer Biddle
Digital Strategist
Jen is an experienced digital strategist and science communicator with more than 20 years of experience shaping health and science stories for broad audiences. At UC Davis Health, she leads digital strategy, content development, and analytics for high-impact public health initiatives, building campaigns that transform online engagement into real-world change.
Jen established EHSC's digital programming and has played a pivotal role in engaging communities around wildfire and COVID-19 research. Her award-winning documentary projects include the Emmy-nominated Waking Up to Wildfires, which focused on the 2017 Napa and Sonoma fires, and Dignidad, about domestic workers' struggle for health protections during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her projects have aired on hundreds of PBS stations nationwide and have been honored at film festivals and other venues by the National Academies of Sciences, the American Public Health Association, and the American Industrial Hygiene Association.
[email protected] | Contact Jen with media, website, or social media queries.
Crystal Herrera
Interim Program Manager
Crystal graduated from UC Davis with a BS in Biological Sciences, with an emphasis in Molecular and Cellular Biology, and a minor in Spanish. She joins the Environmental Health Sciences Center as Interim Project Manager.
For the past 17 years, she has worked in the Department of Public Health Sciences on large epidemiological studies examining the relationship between environment and autism (CHARGE, ReCHARGE, and ECHO studies). Her passion for science and vulnerable communities continues to drive her work to this day.
[email protected] | Contact Crystal with questions about our programs, events, or other center-wide initiatives.
Mira Miles
Associate Program Manager
[email protected] | Contact Mira with questions about our programs, events, research, or other center-wide initiatives.
Candy García Arellano
Digital Graphics & Media Assistant
Candy Garcia Arellano is passionate about using data and spatial tools to tell stories about environmental issues, help people understand how communities are affected, and explore possible solutions. She is a student at UC Davis, double-majoring in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning and Community and Regional Development, with a minor in Geographic Information Systems. At the UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Center, she works under the guidance of Jennifer Biddle, with work that ranges from translating scientific findings into public-facing resources to engaging directly with communities across California.
Much of Candy's spatial work at EHSC supports scientific storytelling by bringing maps, data, visuals, and writing together to make complex information more digestible and engaging.
Before joining EHSC, Candy served as a Program Manager and Environmental Educator with Sprout Up, where she coordinated partnerships that brought hands-on environmental education to local classrooms, including Title I schools. This experience strengthened her commitment to accessible environmental communication and community engagement.
Ruth Williams
Project Policy Analyst
As administrative chief, Ruth organizes meetings, projects and seminars for EHSC researchers and keeps all of our operations running smoothly. Ruth began her career at UC Davis in 2012 as an executive assistant in the Department of Public Health Sciences, but her interest in working with researchers began years ago when she helped manage an environmental science lab in the Bay Area.
A problem solver at heart, Ruth loves her current job because she gets to facilitate research collaborations as they're developing. Ruth studied business and human resources at the University of Phoenix, where she also earned her Master’s in Business Administration.
[email protected] | Contact Ruth for AIMS Review and CLG meetings.