Meet the Project Staff
Ruben Bergtraun
Project Manager
ruben@swape.com
Ruben graduated from UCLA in 2022 with a B.S. in Environmental Science and a concentration in Conservation Biology. His coursework included restoration, ecology, environmental policy, scientific communication, and sustainable business development. During his senior year he assisted with a GIS analysis project to find potential park locations in communities along the Los Angeles River. Before starting at SWAPE, Ruben worked on a natural wine vineyard in Italy and had previously interned with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Since joining SWAPE, Ruben has focused on projects pertaining to CEQA compliance, air quality modeling, health risk assessments, and analyzing greenhouse gas impacts.
Aidan Ryan
Project Manager
aidan@swape.com
Aidan graduated from UCLA in 2022 with a B.S. in Marine Biology and a minor in Spanish. His coursework included marine ecology, organic chemistry, statistics, biochemistry, atmospheric sciences, and courses in Spanish, including one about mining. While at UCLA, Aidan participated in research focused on heavy metal contamination in LA County urban gardens, studied abroad in Thailand, and interned with friends of Ballona Wetlands working to revive the wetlands. After graduation, he spent a year teaching English in Spain, and furthering his Spanish language development. Since joining SWAPE, Aidan has worked on projects involving data analysis, mapping, and environmental research.
Alex Martin
Project Manager
alex@swape.com
Alex graduated from UCLA in 2022 with a B.S. in Environmental Science and minors in Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences and Theater. His studies focused on chemical and biological oceanography, environmental health and air quality, and modeling using GIS and other coding software. While at UCLA, Alex participated in research examining the abiotic influences on kelp biomass in the Santa Barbara Channel. Combining his interest for the arts with his major area of study, Alex completed his senior capstone with the Sustainable Production Alliance, building a cost-benefit analysis tool for film studios to better understand sustainable decision-making practices. At SWAPE, Alex works on projects relating to air quality modeling, mapping, and health risk assessments.
Carolina Gomez Navarro
Project Manager
carolina@swape.com
Carolina graduated from UCLA in 2023 with a B.S. in Environmental Science and a concentration in Environmental Systems & Society, as well as a minor in Geographic Information Systems & Technology. She obtained a background in environmental engineering, environmental policy and regulation, environmental justice, and scientific communication through coursework. At UCLA, she conducted research for the Sustainable LA Grand Challenges Undergraduate Research Scholars Program on stormwater management. Her research explored the connection between gentrification and the negative public health impacts it has on the community of Inglewood. Carolina also worked as a Project Manager and Director of Operations for Clean Consulting, a student-run sustainability consulting organization at UCLA. Since joining SWAPE, Carolina works on projects involving environmental health, occupational risk assessments, and historical liability analysis.
Mahliya Purificacion
Environmental Analyst
mahliya@swape.com
Mahliya graduated from UCLA in 2022 with a B.S. in Environmental Science and a concentration in Environmental Systems and Society. Her coursework included environmental policy, GIS, scientific communication, and environmental justice. While at UCLA, Mahliya worked as a Research Assistant for the Longcore Lab monitoring and evaluating light pollution in the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve. After graduating, she has worked on learning data analytics and earning a certificate in Geographic Information Systems. Since joining SWAPE, Mahliya has worked on projects related to occupational risk assessments.
Ahalya Sabaratnam
Environmental Analyst
ahalya@swape.com
Ahalya graduated from UCLA in 2024 with a B.S. in Environmental Science and a concentration in Environmental Systems and Society. Her coursework ranged from environmental policy and politics, GIS, environmental justice, statistics, coding and conservation. While at UCLA, Ahalya worked as a Research Assistant for the Longcore Lab studying and monitoring light pollution in the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve. She also worked as an Information Gathering Assistant for the Sustainable LA Grand Challenge Initiative within UCLA where she compiled information about California's wildfire regime, researched in a variety of disciplines and aided in data visualization. Since joining SWAPE, Ahalya has worked on projects related to asbestos, human health risk assessments, and environmental research.
Lauren Arnott
Environmental Analyst
lauren@swape.com
Lauren graduated from California Polytechnic State University in 2024 with a B.S. in Environmental Management and Protection. Her coursework included environmental policy, watershed management, ecology, soil sciences, environmental consulting and others. While at Cal Poly, Lauren participated in the environmental sciences club and in the ecotech club. For her senior research project, she conducted a comprehensive investigation into the effects of water quality on both riparian biodiversity and the diversity and density of macroinvertebrate populations. This involved selecting multiple study sites along a freshwater system, collecting water samples to measure parameters, such as pH, and assessing the surrounding riparian vegetation for species richness and composition. Additionally, she employed standardized sampling techniques—such as kick-netting—to gather macroinvertebrate specimens, which were then identified to family or genus level. Before starting at SWAPE, Lauren worked as an Water Conservation Specialist for the City or Morgan hill, assisting with stormwater testing and community outreach for the local non-functional turf ban. Since joining SWAPE, Lauren has worked on projects related to asbestos, CEQA compliance, air quality modeling, human health risk assessments, and occupational risk assessments.
Michelle Rothman
Environmental Analyst
michelle@swape.com
Michelle graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Science from UC Santa Cruz in 2023 and an M.S. in Earth Science from UC Santa Cruz in 2024. Her academic journey has centered on environmental contamination, remediation, and policy, with specialized coursework in GIS applications, coastal science, and data analysis. Her Master’s research involved using lichen as a bioindicator to identify hot spots of mercury emissions at the Sulfur Bank Mercury Mine Superfund site and the New Almadén Mercury District in Northern California, contributing to the broader understanding of legacy contamination. At UC Santa Cruz, Michelle contributed to multiple environmental research projects, including examining drought resistance in native California flora and fauna and assessing mercury methylation in contaminated soils and waters. She also served as a Teaching Assistant, supporting undergraduate learning and environmental literacy. Since joining SWAPE, Michelle has worked on projects related to environmental remediation, asbestos, occupational risk assessments, and environmental health.
Madison Wichert
Intern
madison@swape.com
Madison is a fourth year UCLA student. She is majoring in Environmental Science with a concentration in Environmental Engineering. Her studies are focused on the physical, chemical, and biological processes in the environment and engineering systems. Madison was previously part of an environmental engineering lab where she worked on mitigating the negative impacts of wildfires on water quality using green infrastructure. Specifically, she studied the effects of wildfire residue on denitrification, modeling these systems with columns and batch experiments. Since joining SWAPE, Madison has worked on projects involving environmental research, human health risk assessments, and occupational risk assessments.
Callum Man
Intern
callum@swape.com
Callum is a current UCLA student with an expected graduation date of June 2025. He is double majoring in Environmental Science B.S. and Sociology B.A. with a concentration in Environmental Systems and Societies. His coursework focuses on environmental justice, geographic information systems, oceanography, scientific communication, and climate change modeling. He currently works in Dr. Morgan Tingley’s lab investigating the impacts of wildfire smoke on the health and behavior of birds. His previous research has included two projects working under Professor Edward Walker: (1) an NSF-funded investigation of media coverage of corporate commitments to "climate neutral" or "net zero" and the effectiveness of those commitments and (2) a project researching how organizations involved in fire fighting discuss climate change. On campus, he is involved in climate change advocacy and environmentally based corporate consulting. Since joining SWAPE, Callum has assisted on various projects pertaining to PFAS, ethylene oxide, and PCB contamination.
Claudia Rajski
Intern
claudia@swape.com
Claudia is a current UCLA undergraduate student with an expected graduation date of June 2025. She is studying Environmental Science B.S. with a concentration in Environmental Systems and Society and a minor in Global Studies B.A.. Her coursework includes environmental justice, coding, geographic information systems, and environmental policy. Claudia has previous research experience working for the Open 4 Good team at UCLA's Anderson School of Management where she tabulated the GHG scope emission goals of Fortune 500 companies and business sustainability in general. On campus, she is involved in environmental consulting and sustainability-led initiatives. Since joining SWAPE, Claudia has worked on projects related to asbestos, human health risk assessments, and environmental research.
Amy Jordan
Intern
amy@swape.com
Amy is a current UCLA undergraduate student with an expected graduation date of June 2025. She is studying Environmental Science B.S. with a concentration in Environmental Systems and Society. Her studies are focused on environmental policy and regulation, data analysis, environmental justice, and geographic information systems. Amy is currently working on a senior practicum project focused on analyzing community solar initiatives in Los Angeles and Medellín. She previously worked with nonprofits, the US EPA, the USDA Forest Service, and UC Berkeley’s Center for Occupational and Environmental Health. On campus, she is involved in UCLA Farmers Market and runs a handmade jewelry business. Since joining SWAPE, Amy has worked on projects pertaining to environmental regulation and research.