Lekelia “Kiki” Jenkins ’97, biological sciences, assistant professor of marine and environmental affairs at the University of Washington, is one off 126 recipients of the Sloan Research Fellowship, named annually by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
A National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow, Jenkins received her Ph.D. from Duke University in 2006 by pioneering a new field of study into the invention and adoption of marine conservation technology. Her research interests include: the theoretical and empirical study of the invention and adoption of marine technologies, especially bycatch reduction devices and tidal energy arrays; the study of the integration of “lay” expertise into scientific decision-making; and the study of gear substitution as a means to reduce bycatch and habitat impacts of fishing gear. Recent research includes studying the factors that cause fishermen to adopt, or not to adopt, equipment that can help sea turtles avoid being caught by fishing gear or cause them the least harm if they are caught.
Read a UMBC Magazine profile of Jenkins here.
