Seigi Karasaki
I am an environmental and cancer epidemiologist studying how chemical contaminants, such as PFAS in drinking water, shape population health. I am interested in how geospatial methods and machine learning can be leveraged to translate lived experiences and community priorities.
Recent happenings
On the academic job market for tenure-track faculty positions in environmental health, epidemiology, and related fields.
Presented preliminary results for a synthetic control analysis of petroleum refinery closure and cancer incidence at ISEE 2026 in Munich.
Submitted an Early K99/R00 grant proposal to the NCI.
Published a critical review on geospatial approaches for environmental justice in the Annual Review of Public Health (link).
Published an epidemiologic study of PFAS in drinking water and cancer prevalence in Environmental Health (link).
Approach to research
My research leverages big data to elevate community health priorities towards a more environmentally just, cancer-free future. I combine geospatial analysis, machine learning, and community-engaged methods to characterize environmental exposures and connect them to cancer outcomes.
Ongoing projects
Petroleum refinery closure and cancer incidence
Applying synthetic control methods to estimate the causal impact of a petroleum refinery shutdown on local site-specific cancer incidence rates.
Embedded bias in EPA PFAS monitoring data
Quantifying how the EPA's rolling data releases under the fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule introduce non-random bias in PFAS occurrence estimates, correlated with water system size and geographic region.
Select publications
See Google Scholar for a full list and citation counts.
Karasaki S, Berberian AG, Zewdie HY, Cushing LJ, VoPham T. Geospatial approaches for environmental justice: A critical review. Annual Review of Public Health, 47, 2026.
Karasaki S, Iyer HS, Phipps AI, VoPham T. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water and cancer prevalence in the United States. Environmental Health, 25(1):19, 2026.
Karasaki S, Morello-Frosch R, Callaway D. Machine learning for environmental justice: Dissecting an algorithmic approach to predict drinking water quality in California. Science of the Total Environment, 951:175730, 2024.
Karasaki S, Libenson A, Tran T, Bangia K, Cushing LJ, Rempel JL, et al. How a community-academic-government partnership for drinking water justice strengthens the rigor, relevance, reach, and reflexivity of science. Environmental Justice, 2024.
Karasaki S, Goddard JJ, Cohen A, Ray I. Environmental justice and drinking water: A critical review of primary data studies. WIREs Water, 10(5):e1653, 2023.
Awards and fellowships
- President's Postdoctoral Fellowship (2026–2027)
- CU Anschutz Rising Stars over the Rockies (2026)
- ASPO New Investigators Award (2026)
- AACR-Doreen J. Putrah Scholar-in-Training Award (2025)
- Best of ASPO Conference Presentation (2025)
- Fulbright Research Fellowship (2018–2019)
- NSF InFEWS Fellowship (2017–2019)
Education
MS-PhD, Energy and Resources (2024)
University of California, Berkeley
Designated emphasis: development engineering
MS, Epidemiology (expected 2027)
University of Washington
MA, International Studies (2014)
University of Tokyo
東京大学・新領域創世科学研究科・国際協力学専攻
BA, East Asian Studies (2011)
University of California, Los Angeles
Fellowships and funding: NCI T32 Training Grant, NSF InFEWS, FLAS, Fulbright
Teaching and mentoring
Graduate student instructor, UC Berkeley
Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor award (2017).
- Water and Sanitation Justice — Energy and Resources Group (Summer 2020)
- Data, Science, and Society — Energy and Resources Group (Fall 2018)
- Food and Environment — Geography (Spring 2017)
- Introduction to Culture and Natural Resource Management — ESPM (Fall 2016)
- Globalization — Geography (Spring 2016)
Mentoring
- UW School of Public Health Mentorship Program mentor (2025–present)
- Washington State Opportunity Scholarship mentor (2024–present)
- Research mentoring spanning high school students to graduate researchers and staff
Select service
DEI committee service
- Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Society for Epidemiologic Research (2026–present)
- Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Working Group, UW Epidemiology (2025–present)
- DEI Committee, International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (2024–present)
- DEI Committee student representative, Energy & Resources Group, UC Berkeley (2016–18)
Board leadership
- Executive board member and secretary, 10 Billion Strong — environmental education nonprofit training youth on local environmental issues (2022–present)
- Executive board member and president, Solar Roots — NGO running workshops on installing and maintaining small-scale solar PV systems in rural areas (2017–2024)
Contact
I'm on the academic job market and welcome conversations about faculty positions, collaborations, or shared research interests.
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA