Biography
Joshua Ash is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Law and Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Clinic. Under his leadership, the clinic works with the Pittsburgh community to foster local climate change mitigation and adaptation policy and projects, ensure a safe and clean environment for all regardless of race or income, and facilitate green and equitable economic opportunities. Professor Ash’s research interests include policy mechanisms to improve public participation in climate mitigation and adaptation, sector-specific approaches to decarbonization including transportation, agriculture, and industry, novel approaches to environmental governance such as constitutional environmental rights, intergenerational equity, and environmental justice. He also brings a multi-disciplinary set of practical skills, including legal research, legislative advocacy, statutory interpretation, grant implementation, environmental permitting, project delivery of major transportation infrastructure projects, policy drafting program, program evaluation, and qualitative/quantitative social science research methods.
Prior to joining the University of Pittsburgh, Professor Ash worked on national and state climate policy at the USDOT’s Volpe Center, the RAND Corporation, and most recently the Georgetown Climate Center. His work supported policies and programs such as the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program, Buy Clean policies, the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) program, Justice40, and the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. Professor Ash has also worked with the Government Accountability Office, the West Virginia Water Research Institute, the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as having worked as a project attorney for two billion-dollar infrastructure projects for Walsh Construction.
Professor Ash is also an active member of the American Bar Association Section for Environment, Energy, and Resources (for which he serves as co-chair of the Membership Diversity Enhancement Program and formally served in the Leadership Development Program). Josh holds a J.D., a master’s degree in natural resource economics, and bachelor’s degrees in environmental geoscience, French, and international affairs from West Virginia University, as well as a PhD candidacy at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.