Mica Estrada’s work is focused on historically underrepresented ethnic populations that are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and who have the potential to offer creative solutions. She is an associate professor at the University of California San Francisco’s School of Nursing in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the Institute for Health and Aging. Estrada’s research programs include social influence, including the study of identity, values, kindness, well-being, and integrative education.

Estrada’s research designs and tests interventions that can change individual behavior, social norms, and community consciousness. She is engaged in several studies involving implementing and assessing interventions aimed to increase student persistence in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers.

Estrade received the Leadership Institute Graduate Award from the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) in 2013 and the Adolphus Toliver Award for Outstanding Research in 2016. She has previously served as a member of a study on Strengthening Research Experiences for Undergraduate STEM Students at the National Academies of Sciences (NAS), Engineering, and Medicine. Dr. Estrada earned her B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley and her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Harvard University.