Rachel Lit

policy research intern

As a Policy Research Intern for the Smart Surfaces Coalition, Rachel Lit is enthusiastic about addressing human health, environmental justice, and climate resilience through nature-based solutions in city policy. Rachel will help support the Cities for Smart Surfaces program, conduct research on Smart Surfaces policy interventions, and continue the development of the Smart Surfaces Policy Tracker searchable database. 

Rachel recently graduated from Stanford University with a BS in Human Biology and a minor in Earth Systems, where she focused on studying public health challenges through the lens of climate change. Rachel's interests lie in ecosystem resilience, social determinants of health, disease ecology, public policy, and sustainability.

Rachel's dedication to human and planetary health has previously led her to the Stanford Living Lab Fellowship as an adaptive land management fellow mitigating wildfire risks; nonprofits like the Environmental Defense Fund and the National Center for Learning Disabilities where she worked with stakeholders to address issues related to ocean conservation and environmental pollutants; and the U.S. Senate where she learned the fundamentals of health policy research.