Denise is the Assistant Director of The Earth League Secretariat at the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University. She is a nationally recognized interdisciplinary scientist specializing in community-engaged research and environmental social justice, with a focus on addressing contamination and health issues through innovative approaches.
She directs the Secretariat, which is co-chaired by Peter Schlosser and Johan Rockström. With 24 years of prior research experience, Moreno Ramírez has designed virtual reality products that engage the public and transform rural museums into hubs of local climate knowledge through the initiative Climate Heritage ILLuminated in Arizona (CHILL Arizona). She has also worked to preserve the oral histories of individuals living in contaminated environments for the edification of future generations through the Voices Unheard: Arizona's Environmental History project.
Additionally, Denise has studied the impact of volatile organic compounds on workplace air quality affecting low-wage workers in Arizona's beauty salons and auto shops. She developed peer education modules for Mexican Community Health Workers to promote environmental health at the community level and partnered with communities at Superfund Sites to lead community-driven environmental research projects, advancing environmental justice.
Her accomplishments have earned her several prestigious awards, including the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (T32), a highly competitive grant that supports promising researchers in the early stages of their careers. She has also received the Agents of Change in Environmental Justice Fellowship from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, highlighting her significant contributions to environmental justice. Additionally, she was awarded the President's Postdoctoral Fellowship, a selective fellowship that supports early-career scholars. Her research has been featured in national and international media outlets, including The Guardian, Environmental Health News, InsideClimate News, and SXSW.