Aleutian & Bering Sea Initiative Research Coordinator
Rachel Lekanoff joined the NLP as the ABSI’s Research Coordinator in 2024. She grew up in Washington state, and made frequent visits to her family in Unalaska, learning about her Unangax̂ culture and heritage. She earned her B.S. in Environmental Science at Western Washington University. Wanting to be closer to her Alaskan family, she moved north to attend the University of Alaska Fairbanks and earned an M.S. in Oceanography in 2020. Since getting her master’s, Rachel has worked on behalf of the Aleutian Pribilof region on a variety of projects including tribal fisheries co-management, climate resilience, and environmental remediation. She is now also a graduate student at UAF (again!) as a Tamamta fellow pursuing a PhD in Fisheries. Her research interests include genomics as a fisheries monitoring tool for rural Alaska. Academically and professionally, she endeavors to elevate Indigenous Knowledge to develop a more holistic view of the fisheries and marine ecosystems all Alaskans rely on. Outside of work and school, Rachel is an avid cyclist and cross-country skier and is frequently on the incredible trail networks in and around Anchorage.