What brought me here
When I was 8 years old, I liked to play with dirt. I crushed bricks and rocks to make dyes, squeezed juice from plants and added dry leaves into my mixtures. I had an assistant — a girlfriend who lived nearby. We were playing as she was a student in my class and I was a professor. Twenty years later, I conduct laboratory analyses in a soil research lab with undergraduate assistants and I teach students about the ecosystems, teeming with life, that exist beneath our feet. My mission is to educate communities about the critical importance of soil health for growing nutritious food, for supporting healthy ecosystems, and for helping to reduce harmful greenhouse gases.
I am an international urban soil scientist currently at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (ULL), School of Geosciences. My expertise is urban soil contamination and remediation of urban gardens. I help people to understand the impact of being exposed to soil heavy metals on their health and to find the best ways to improve soil quality in urban gardens. I have presented my research at national and international soil conferences in Italy, Brazil, Mexico, China, and Russia; I have authored and co-authored twenty five manuscripts and book chapters with more on the way. In addition to my appointment at ULL as an endowed assistant professor, I have taught at New York University, CUNY Brooklyn College, the renowned New York Botanical Garden, and Brooklyn Botanic Garden. I have developed educational materials, led soil workshops, and coordinated collaborations with international researchers for the NYC Urban Soils Institute.
Recently, I have developed The Delta Urban Soils Laboratory at ULL to provide soil testing services and informal education to communities, small production farmers, and gardeners. I am creating collaborations with international researchers, in addition to leading a research group in Moscow.
Education
Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Sciences, Geology
The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 2019
M.Phil. in Earth and Environmental Sciences, Geology
The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 2018
B.S. in Earth and Environmental Sciences
Brooklyn College, City University of New York, 2013–2014
Advanced Certificate in Geographic Information Systems
Hunter College, City University of New York, 2016–2018
B.S. in Ecology and Nature Management
North Caucasus Federal University, Stavropol, Russia, 2008–2014
Testimonials
“New Yorkers are incredibly fortunate to have Anna Paltseva as their steadfast ambassador for soil health and remediation. Anna approaches soil science from a citizen science perspective - she is able to engage anyone in the why and how of this critical work while relealing the countless stories our city’s soil tells about our history and our future environmental health.”
“Dr. Paltseva introduced me to the science of soil. I was looking for a way to bring expert opinion and research into my domain, as an everyday autodidact. She made the information and world of earth sciences palatable, clear and engaging. Dr. Paltseva connected the historical legacy of heavy metals in our environment with the contemporary methods of remediating polluted soils, linking the abstract with the observable, and connected people with communities and friendship. As an educator and professional contributing to her field, Anya is known for her friendly expertise and capacity to animate complex topics into a theater of understanding.”
“Five and a half years ago, Anya Paltseva ignited in me a passion for all aspects of soil science which will continue for the rest of my life. For that alone, I would have been eternally grateful, but I am fortunate to also be able to call Anya a cherished friend and colleague. Her knowledge of her field is only exceeded by her enthusiasm for and generosity in sharing that knowledge. Her impressive achievements, which include important research into urban soils and the earning of a PhD in Earth and Environmental Sciences, have made her an important contributor to global efforts to save our planet from the degradations of toxic pollution, chemical farming, and climate change. She is a committed teacher who is dedicated to spreading to all whom she educates the vital place soil holds in the solutions to our current global dilemmas. She does more than teach, however; Anya is out there creating the resources to make this information available to all through her YouTube videos, online tutorials, handbooks and soil testing kits. I have no doubt that Anya will continue to be a leader in the environmental sciences and that her future contributions as scientist and researcher, teacher and advocate, will continue to inspire all with whom she comes into contact to view the earth, ecological systems, and the environment – and our place in it – with more reverence and care.”
“You can’t be a great gardener or plant parent without first understanding your soil, and taking Anna’s class at NYBG was instrumental for my career as a plant consultant. Soil is the foundation of every successful plant, and Anna taught me all of the fundamentals I needed to properly assess, amend and build healthy soil of my own. She is a wealth of knowledge and her in-class experiments and engaging teaching style were incredibly effective. After working with her, you will never view soil the same way again.”