Erika Gavenus

Portrait photo of Erika Gavenus

Erika Gavenus

PhD Student, International Doctoral Fellow, O’Riordan Fellow

Research Interests

Cultural ecosystem services, Environmental and cultural values, First Nations and Resource Management, Food security, Political ecology

Bio

Erika Gavenus is a PhD student at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability under the supervision of Dr. Terre Satterfield. Erika holds an Master’s degree in Environmental Health Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor’s degree in Global Health from Georgetown University. During her Master’s work, Erika completed research with communities along the Kenyan coast of Lake Victoria considering how changes to local fisheries related to food security and child nutrition.

During her studies at UBC, Erika is looking to expand on this research background to consider the mechanisms through which coastal communities access natural resources, and how changes to access might affect human health, with particular attention to social and cultural aspects of community health.

Erika’s interest in this research area is inspired by growing up and working in a fishing community in Alaska, and by the common understanding and relationships she has found among fishermen throughout her research.