Jessica Nwafor
Graduate Assistant
Disaster and Space Anthropology
Treasurer (2024-2025), 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
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
- gender and ethnic identity; social inequalities; body image; domestic violence
Affiliations
- Anthropology
- New Maps Plus
- Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA)