Emily Mortazavi earned a master’s degree in earth sciences, with an emphasis on marine sedimentology and paleomagnetism, from USC in 2012. Her thesis explored Holocene sedimentation patterns in the western equatorial Pacific Ocean and its implications for understanding past climatic patterns.
Broadly Mortazavi worked at the Delta Science Program to advance its science plan and incorporate its science into the greater Delta Plan "to achieve the coequal goals of providing a more reliable water supply for California and protecting, restoring, and enhancing the Delta ecosystem."