The Team
Prithivi Chellamuthu Ph.D.
Prithvi Chellamuthu received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Southern California, along with a degree in public policy in sustainable cities. He received his MS (Biological Engineering) from Utah State, and BE (Electrical Engineering) from Vellore Inst of Technology, India.
During his Ph.D., he developed methods to remove heavy metals from contaminated water systems. Currently, as a postdoctoral researcher in a biophysics lab, he is developing green chemistry and synthetic biology methods to synthesize nanomaterials. He is passionate about our planet, science communication, environmental and public health, biosensors, personalized medicine, fermentation (beers mostly), and eco-entrepreneurship
He is a trained scientist, inspired by Rachel Carson, interested in addressing biomedical, environmental and public health challenges by working with scientists/ engineers/professionals to develop cost-efficient, scientific solutions to address the challenges facing the people and the planet.
Outside of work, he enjoys camping, hiking, books, science, biking, basketball, running, meditation, and yoga.
Inspiration: Rachel Carson, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Gates, John Muir, Aristotle, and Henry David Thoreau.
Yamini Jangir Ph.D.
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Yamini Jangir received her Ph.D. in Physics from University of Southern California. Previously, she completed her M.Sc. (Physics) at the Indian Institute of Technology (Mumbai) and B. Sc. (Physics) at the Delhi University.
During here Ph.D., she investigated and unveiled the complexities in biological electron transfer in subsurface microbes in extreme environments, employing various tools from electrochemistry, microbiology, and bioinformatics for her investigation.
Yamini is interested in science communications & outreach. Importantly, she is interested in addressing the current environmental challenges by applying her scientific understanding into translational and applied scientific work in the area of wastewater treatment, recovery and recycling of waste materials towards a sustainable, “circular” economy.
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Inspiration: Sylvia Earle
Petra Thiemann Ph.D.
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Petra Thiemann is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the USC Dornsife Institute for New Economics Thinking (USC-INET). She completed her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland and spent one year as a Visiting Student Researcher at UC Berkeley.
Petra focuses in on education and labor economics. Currently she works on understanding the sources of inequalities in K-12 education in the US, specifically on the role of teachers and school resources.
During her graduate degree, Petra served as a board member and project lead at “oikos St. Gallen” -- a student organization dedicated to promoting education on sustainability topics. She hopes to further raise attention to social equalities and environmental sustainability at Oneearthlabs.
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Petra is a passionate member of the USC University Chorus, and likes to connect with nature on a trail run or hike.
Inspiration: Thich Nhat Hanh
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The Power of Earth
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Young Explorers
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Mapping the World
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