Jess Breitfeller recently earned her PhD in Environmental Anthropology. Broadly speaking, her work focuses on the politics of conservation, sustainable development, and human rights in Central America.

Her doctoral research centered on the political ecology/ontology of climate governance and forest conservation in Costa Rica. Specifically, she used mixed methods and employed a multi-sited ethnographic approach to investigate Indigenous consultation processes, examining how these communities perceive, contest, negotiate, and adapt to policies under the international climate regime. This work was supported by a National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (NSF-DDRIG award #1948867), a Wylie Dissertation Completion Fellowship, and additional research funding from the UMD Graduate School and BSOS.

Jess also holds a dual Master's degree in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development from American University and the United Nations Mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Vermont in Environmental Studies and Cultural Anthropology.