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Jessica Nwafor
Graduate Assistant
Disaster and Space Anthropology
Distinguished Lecture Series (DLS) Chair (2023-2024), Anthropology Graduate Student Association (AGSA)

My research and work have focused on biophysical disasters in West and East Africa and South Asia, particularly examining the climate change-disaster-livelihoods-migration nexus. Currently, my research focuses on potential space exploration-induced disasters, emphasizing the impacts of space junk contamination in terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments, including the effects of rocket fuel residues from burned-up rockets upon reentry into Earth. Creative writing is also my seasoned hobby, with fictional and non-fictional works garnering recognition in several literary competitions, including the K and L Prize for African Literature (2019) and the Tucson Festival of Books Literary Award Competition (2023).
 

Contact Information
Jonw222@uky.edu
Education
BA, English Language, University of Abuja, Nigeria
Master's in Development Practice (MDP), University of Arizona, USA
Ph.D. Student, Cultural Anthropology, University of Kentucky, USA
Research Interests
  • Disasters and Crises
  • Political Ecology
  • outer space geographies
  • climate change
  • GIS-based spatial analysis
  • Emergency Management and Response
  • Sustainability and Environmental Change
Affiliations
  • Anthropology
  • Geography
  • Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA)