Credits: Photo: John Freidah Caption: Once at MIT, Coombs explored research opportunities that improved the lives of others. Her work on medical devices in the MIT Media Lab and with a startup helping rural dairy farmers in India both had a tangible impact, but didn’t quite satisfy her goal of reducing inequality and making a difference on a global scale. Credits: Photo: John Freidah Caption: Coombs developed a computational model to better understand a method of desalination known as osmotically assisted reverse osmosis. The model could lead to improved desalination systems in the future, which in turn could reduce water scarcity in developing nations.