Mariaelena Huambachano

Mariaelena Huambachano is Assistant Professor at Syracuse University with joint appointments in Religion, Women's and Gender Studies, and Native American and Indigenous Studies. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Auckland (2016) and M.S. from Massey University (2011).

Her research examines Indigenous food sovereignty, climate justice, and sustainable food systems through decolonizing methodologies. She developed the Khipu Model research framework for ethical Indigenous scholarship and leads projects on traditional ecological knowledge and environmental governance.

Honors include the Humanities Center Fellowship (2023), Watson Distinguished Professorship (2022), and Nelly McNally Fellowship (2020). She serves on FAO and IPBES expert panels and authored Recovering Our Ancestral Foodways (UC Press, 2024).