Angel S. Fernandez-Bou, PhD (President)

About my work

I am a Senior Scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists with a background in environmental and socioeconomic systems engineering, and the current president of the nonprofit organization SocioEnvironmental and Education Network, SEEN. Serving vulnerable communities makes me prouder than any other part of my work. My work with SEEN includes children and adult education, and promoting environmental and climate justice in disadvantaged communities. My research orbits around sustainability, with a focus on the future of sustainable agriculture in California and the inclusion of vulnerable groups, including affordable technology and breaking language barriers.

My education

I have a PhD in Environmental Systems from UC Merced, a Masters in Biosystems Engineering and Water Resources from Brazil, and a degree in Agricultural Engineering from Spain, and I am trilingual in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. 

About me (for children)

Angel S. Fernandez-Bou likes to look at weird things like ponds and insects, and to dig holes in the ground to see what’s going on. Sometimes, he invents machines to measure invisible gases, and he definitely loves to hug dogs, cats, and trees. Angel S. is originally from Spain, but now he is from everywhere (he speaks English, Portuguese, and Spanish quite well! and a few other languages less well). He works on amazing projects to protect the water, the air, the soil, and the money using combinations of Engineering, Environmental, and Socioeconomic approaches. He likes to think he is an Environmental Systems Engineer (because he is an Engineer with a Master in Engineering and a Doctorate in Environmental Systems). 

“Serving vulnerable communities makes me prouder than any other part of my work” 

– Angel S. Fernandez-Bou, PhD

Some publications by the SEEN team: 

Fernandez-Bou, J.P. Ortiz-Partida, C. Pells, L.M. Classen-Rodriguez, V. Espinoza, J.M. Rodríguez-Flores, L. Booth, J. Burmistrova, A. Cai, A. Cairo, J.A. Capitman, S. Cole, H. Flores-Landeros, A. Guzman, M.L. Maskey, D. Martínez-Escobar, P.A. Sanchez-Perez, J.A. Valero-Fandiño, J.H. Viers, L. Westerling, and J. Medellín-Azuara. 2021. California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment: San Joaquin Valley Region Report. California Natural Resources Agency. SUM-CCCA4-2021-003. energy.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2022-01/CA4_CCA_ SJ_Region_Eng_ada.pdf (Spanish summary available at energy.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2022-01/CA4_CCA_ SJ_RegionHilites_Spanish_ada.pdf

Fernandez-Bou, J.P. Ortiz-Partida, L.M. Classen-Rodríguez, C. Pells, K.B. Dobbin, V. Espinoza, J.M. Rodríguez-Flores, C. Thao, C. Hammond Wagner, A. Fencl, H. Flores-Landeros, M.L. Maskey, S.A. Cole, S. Azamian, E. Gamiño, A. Guzman, A.G.F. Alvarado, M.S. Campos-Martinez, C. Weintraub, E. Sandoval, R. Dahlquist-Willard, L. Bernacchi, C.C. Naughton, R.M. DeLugan, J. Medellín-Azuara. 3 challenges, 3 errors, and 3 solutions to integrate frontline communities in climate change policy and research: Lessons from California. Frontiers in Climate, 2021. doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2021.717554

Fernandez-Bou, J.P. Ortiz-Partida, K. Dobbin, H. Flores-Landeros, L. Bernacchi, J. Medellín-Azuara. Underrepresented, understudied, underserved: gaps and opportunities for advancing justice in disadvantaged communities. Environmental Science & Policy, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2021.04.014

Flores-Landeros, C. Pells, M.S. Campos-Martinez, Fernandez-Bou, J.P. Ortiz-Partida, J. Medellín-Azuara. Community perspectives and environmental justice in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Environmental Justice, 2021.  https://doi.org/10.1089/env.2021.0005

Ortiz-Partida, C. Weintraub, Fernandez-Bou, M.L. Maskey. Climate Change in the San Joaquin Valley: A Household and Community Guide to Taking Action. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2020. ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/ 2020-10/climate-change-in-SJValley.pdf (Spanish available at https://es.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/ 2020-10/Cambio_climatico_en_el_Valle_de_San_Joaquin.pdf)