Gillian Maris Jones

Gillian Maris Jones, PhD is an Afro-Indigenous scholar, researcher, and Visiting Professor at SIT Study Abroad’s IHP Climate Change program. Originally from Bulbancha/New Orleans and The Lucayan Archipelago/The Bahamas, she combines anthropological methods with Africana and Latin American studies frameworks to examine climate vulnerability and adaptation in colonized territories.

• Education
  • PhD in Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania
  • BA in Anthropology and Portuguese/Brazilian Studies, Brown University

Her research focuses on:

• Coastal and island community resilience to hurricanes
• Traditional ecological knowledge systems
• Afro-Indigenous resistance to U.S. imperialism
• Climate justice and energy sovereignty

Recent publications analyze cultural citizenship in Salvador, Brazil, and critiques of disaster narratives. Her work bridges ethnography with environmental justice movements across the Black diaspora.

• Scientific Recognition
  • NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
  • SSRC International Dissertation Research Fellowship