Dorothy Lsoto

Background & Expertise

Dorothy Lsoto is an environmental and climate scientist specializing in air quality, environmental justice, energy and public health. She recently completed her PhD in environment and resources at the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, where her research examined how urban planning, social vulnerability, and structural inequities shape air pollution exposure and health outcomes in Kampala, Uganda. Her work integrates low-cost air quality sensors, spatial modeling, environmental epidemiology, and community-engaged research to make air quality information more accessible and actionable. 

Lsoto has collaborated with government, academic, and community partners in Uganda, including NEMA, KCCA, Buganda Kingdom, and AirQo, and contributed to Uganda’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards and Regulations and Kampala’s Clean Air Action Plan. She has also led community air-quality monitoring and education initiatives and designed and taught graduate-level coursework on air quality and equity in African cities. Her broader work focuses on advancing equitable energy transitions, clean cooking, building decarbonization and climate-health solutions, particularly in underserved communities.