Kathleen M. Gray, associate director for outreach and public service in the UNC Institute for the Environment, manages the Center for Public Engagement with Science, with a mission of enhancing public understanding of current environmental science and health research and its relevance to daily life, and empowering North Carolinians to make informed decisions that protect the environment and public health. She also directs the outreach and research translation efforts of two federally-funded research centers in UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. Gray has over 20 years experience conducting environmental health education with community audiences and assisting businesses and government agencies in making sustainable choices. Prior to joining UNC, she led an assessment of NC’s recycling industry for the Division of Pollution Prevention in the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources, advised over 300 businesses in expanding their use of environmentally responsible products and services for Green Seal, assisted EPA’s voluntary environmental programs in developing and evaluating educational materials, and led a community-focused environmental health program at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Gray earned a Ph.D. in science education from NC State University, an M.S.P.H. in environmental sciences and engineering from UNC-Chapel Hill and a B.S. in mathematics from Vanderbilt University.

Associated SEPA Project(s)

• Iterative Design to Engage All (IDEA) Learners: A teacher-scientist collaboration to feature biomedical research and engage diverse high school students
  R25GM142060-01 : 05/20/2021 - 04/30/2026