Nkosi Muse

Environmental Fellow: 2025-2027
PhD, Environmental Science and Policy, University of Miami
A person smiling standing outside
nkosimuse@fas.harvard.edu

Nkosi Muse utilizes a mixed methods approach to examine unique, humid heat hazards that threaten human health and productivity in urban areas, as well as develop policy solutions to equitably adapt in a warming world.​
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Nkosi earned a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology in 2017 from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Prior to beginning a graduate program, he spent a summer conducting research at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, followed by a post baccalaureate fall semester at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory working on improved methods of science communication. Upon graduate enrollment at Georgia State University, Nkosi worked with Dr. David Iwaniec to join the Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network (UREx SRN), where he researched urban climate impacts and environmental injustice in Atlanta, Georgia. After earning his Master’s, Nkosi joined Dr. Katie Mach’s lab at the University of Miami to pursue a PhD in Environmental Science and Policy. There, his research utilized remote sensing and observational data to explore intensifying urban heat exposures across seasonally tropical Miami-Dade County. Nkosi also utilized qualitative methods to examine emerging local heat policy and planning, seeking to ensure equity and justice across a diverse region. As a commissioner appointed Vice Chairman of the City of Miami’s Climate Resilience Committee, serving as an advocate for marginalized and vulnerable communities, Nkosi’s research informed his advisement of local decision makers and stakeholders. ​
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As a Harvard Environmental Fellow, Nkosi will work with Dr. Caroline Buckee of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Dr. Satchit Balsari of Harvard Medical School within their Salata Research Cluster on intensifying heat impacts in South Asia. His research will advance understanding of intensifying humid heat hazards and work towards improving place-specific adaptation and communication solutions.

Faculty Hosts: Caroline Buckee, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Healt and Satchit Balsari, Harvard Medical School