Joel Alexander Pedersen, age 56, passed away on June 29th in Baltimore, Maryland after an 8 month battle with brain cancer. 

Joel was born in Santa Ana on November 15th, 1965 to Jens Boye Fink and Norma Pedersen. Joel graduated Magna Cum Laude from UC Irvine in 1988. During his time there he met his future wife Carleen Harrison. Joel and Carleen went on to have three sons. In 1991 Joel earned his masters degree in Environmental Engineering Science from California Institute of Technology. Following a stint at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency where he received the EPA Bronze Medal for Commendable Service, Joel earned his Doctorate from UCLA in Environmental Science and Engineering. Joel went on to accept an Associate Professor position at University of Wisconsin - Madison. It was there that he received the ASA/CSSA/SSA Early Career Professional Award, the NSF Career Award and the Environmental Science & Technology Excellence in Review Award. In 2012, Joel received tenure and went on to be awarded two named professorships for his distinguished achievement. During this time he also served as a visiting professor at the Swiss Federal Institute for Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, and at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. In 2021, Joel accepted a position at Johns Hopkins University in the department of Environmental Health and Engineering. Before, and during the early stages of his diagnosis, Joel continued to contribute to the best of his ability, collaborating with colleagues and preparing to teach. Throughout his career he was passionate about including underserved and underrepresented people in STEM, and would volunteer his time and resources to ensure that everyone he came in contact with knew they had a seat at the table.

His family remembers him as a man not only of extraordinary wit and accomplishment but also one characterized by a deeply caring nature and quiet yet prevailing wisdom. When he was not fully engrossed in his research, he often gave himself to spending time in the outdoors with his wife, sons, or alone. His hobbies centered around the awe and continual enjoyment of God’s creation. He was a deeply thoughtful person, often given to self-evaluation motivated in large by his steadfast devotion to, and relationship with, God.

Joel is survived by his loving wife, Carleen Pedersen, his sons, Kyle Pedersen, Trent (Kati) Pedersen, and Corey (Bri) Pedersen, and his brother, Paul Pedersen. The service will be held at 9AM on July 10th at Harbor Lawn - Mt. Olive in Costa Mesa, California.

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