Eleri Griffiths

Pronouns: she/her

Bio
In pursuit of global perspectives and adventure, Eleri, originally from Chicago, graduated with First Class Honors in Geography from the University of St Andrews in Scotland in 2019. She received an MA in Geography because in Scotland the final undergraduate year is modeled similarly to a master’s program, including a year-long research dissertation. Eleri’s dissertation focused on quantifying and mapping the distribution of plastic debris around the Scottish coastline, and understanding the environmental processes that influence this distribution. This project inspired Eleri to pursue a career in coastal and marine conservation, and sparked a passion for communicating creatively about environmental issues. Since graduating, she interned at a marine conservation non-profit where she synthesized scientific literature and policy documents to analyze marine protected areas’ management plans around the world. Eleri also worked as an experiential educator and sea kayaking guide for six years, using nature as a classroom to teach environmental stewardship to students of all ages and backgrounds, from preschool to undergraduate. At Bren, Eleri is excited to specialize in Coastal and Marine Resources Management, with a focus on Strategic Environmental Communication, to apply her international perspective as well as her research and teaching experience to real-world marine conservation challenges.