Gwénaëlle d’Aumale

Ph.D. Student
Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior
gwenaelledaumale@u.boisestate.edu

Gwénaëlle will be joining the Farmland Preservation team in January 2023 and will be co-advised by Dr. Schneider and Dr. Som-Castellano. They are interested in bio-cultural conservation, food justice, and farmland preservation policy.

Education

M.S. Conservation Leadership, Colorado State University
MSc Environment, Politics and Development, SOAS University of London
BA (Hons) International Development, King’s College London, University of London

Background
Gwénaëlle was born and raised in Monaco. Their first language was French. From a young age, they had the privilege of backpacking around the world with their mother. During those formative trips, they developed a keen interest in cuisines and their environmental and cultural significance.

In their free time, Gwénaëlle loves to hike, mountain bike, cook, and has just begun playing around with watercolor!

Research Interests

At SOAS, Gwénaëlle delved into Agrarian Studies and Rural Sociology and began their research journey into Political Ecology. Their MSc Dissertation focused on evaluating the real impact of alternative food networks (AFNs) with the case study of the Bolivian quinoa. Using a political ecology lens and a Marxist understanding of socio-natures, she aimed to evaluate whether AFNs, such as the organic quinoa market, had met their promises for better ecological processes and fairer trade terms.

At Colorado State University, Gwénaëlle sought a more hands-on learning environment and found her place in the conservation community of Colorado. The capstone project for this degree looked at using GIS remote sensing analysis to help local partners build a resilient, vibrant, and equitable Northern Colorado Foodshed. The intersectional approach to conservation exhibited by the project partners fully convinced Gwénaëlle that bio-cultural conservation was their passion.