Lekelia Jenkins, an associate professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University, has been named a fellow of the International Science Council, the highest honor that can be conferred on an individual by the council. Fellows are chosen by the ISC’s fellowship council for their dedication to furthering understanding of and engagement with science, in addition to demonstrating the ISC’s mission to be “a voice for science.”
“When you move from place to place the way I do,” Dr. Jenkins said, “you aren’t looking for recognition. You plant the seeds but don’t see the flowers grow. To be recognized by the ISC like this is really rewarding and really affirming. I find great joy in my work when it makes a tangible improvement in people’s lives. A community of other scientists recognizing the work I do has value, and it shows communities that I work with that the work I do is serving the public good.”
Dr. Jenkins’ research centers on the human dimensions of marine sustainability solutions, including fisheries conservation technologies and marine renewable energy. Her recent work has taken her across the globe, where she worked with fisheries in Australia as a Fulbright Scholar. Recently, she has helped galvanize the U.S. National Academy of Sciences to conduct a consensus study on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the ocean studies community.
Dr. Jenkins is a graduate of the University of Maryland Baltimore County, where she majored in biology and minored in dance. She earned a Ph.D. from Duke University, where she pioneered a new field of study on the invention and adoption of marine conservation technology.