Shaffer, L. Jen

Bio

Dr. L. Jen Shaffer is an ecological anthropologist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her academic history is fundamentally interdisciplinary, blending training in Biology (B.S., Cornell), Environmental Science (M.S., Oregon), and Anthropology (Ph.D., Georgia), complemented by a postdoctoral fellowship in Geography (Penn State). This unique foundation provides the broad and applied perspective necessary to address complex environmental research and policy challenges across disciplinary boundaries. Dr. Shaffer’s core research focuses on the complexity of social-ecological systems, investigating the critical role of local environmental knowledge—a culturally grounded amalgamation of knowledge, practice, and beliefs—in sustaining community, livelihoods and household resilience amidst continually changing environments. Her methodology emphasizes applied and collaborative approaches centered on the co-production of new knowledge. She actively brings together researchers, community members, policymakers, and policy implementers to co-develop sustainable and culturally appropriate solutions for critical global challenges such as food security, biodiversity conservation, resource management, and adaptation to environmental change. Her field collaborations are geographically diverse, spanning rural and urban farming and fishing communities in Eastern and Southern Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa), the Pacific Islands (Fiji, American Samoa, Guam), and the mainland United States (Oregon, Maryland). 

Dr. Shaffer is an Affiliate Associate Professor in the UMD Department of Environmental Science and Technology. She also the Faculty Advisor for the Environmental Science and Policy: Culture and Environment concentration. 

ORCID: 0000-0002-0635-0576  
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