Pilar Botana

Pilar Botana Martínez, PhD, MArch, is a Research Scientist in the Department of Environmental Health at Boston University.

Dr. Botana Martínez does research at the intersection between the built environment, health, and climate resilience, with an equity lens. She prioritizes research goals that are actionable, include overburdened communities in the research process, use mixed methods, and produce clear and meaningful “report back” communications. Her overarching goal is to create and expand opportunities for community-engaged research where environmental health and design co-exist and advance together. Before pivoting to the field of Public Health, she worked as an architect for over 20 years.

Currently, Dr. Botana Martínez leads the qualitative research components of a project to develop a wildfire mitigation action plan for the Boston Public Schools, funded by the City of Boston. She is also a researcher with CATCH, a multi-city initiative to make the effects of extreme heat visible in frontline communities in Boston, Phoenix, and New Orleans. where she leads a series of Photovoice projects exploring how residents across the U.S. experience and respond to extreme heat. Pilar Botana Martínez received her Master of Architecture and Urban Planning from the University of A Coruña, Spain, and her PhD from Boston University School of Public health, Department of Environmental Health.