Jillian Walton

Project focus: The Fellow will select a topic area relevant to West Virginia and build out a policymaker guide that contains the science and technical information related to the issue and in-depth analysis of the policies enacted in similar states, informed by local communities, workers on the ground, and other stakeholders.

Jillian Walton is a microbiologist by training, specializing in bioremediation, microbial ecology, and microbial engineering. She received her Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Tennessee, where she researched natural attenuation of hydrocarbon pollutants in marine ecosystems. During her studies, she was actively involved in her local community and founded a citizen science program dedicated to educating residents about soil and water quality. She is also a seasoned advocate for science, taking part in Hill Days, science policy and advocacy trainings, and a public policy internship with the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). Her civic science and advocacy efforts led her to be awarded the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Gilliam Fellowship and the ASM Brad Fenwick Fellowship for the Advancement of Civic Science.