Degree program: Ph.D.

Year accepted: 2026

Advisor: Dr. Mateja Nenadovic and Dr. Carlos Garcia-Quijano

Research: Gender Equity in Fisheries, Fisheries Policy, Coastal Communities

Background: M.S. Marine Biology, James Cook University; B.S. Biology, Tufts University

Profile:

Emelia Kudej is a PhD student from Westborough, Massachusetts, who joined the URI Department of Marine Affairs in Fall 2026. She fell in love with the ocean while spending her summers in Maine, where she would swim and catch crabs. Emelia graduated from Tufts University with a B.S. in Biology. While there, she founded Tufts Club Swim and was an active member of Women’s Higher Education Now, an organization that supports women pursuing higher education. Emelia gained research experience studying stress responses and circadian rhythms of house sparrows via body surface temperature measurements; she presented the findings at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Conference 2023 in Austin, TX, her final year at Tufts. 

Following graduation, Emelia interned at the New England Aquarium rehabilitating cold-stunned sea turtles. There, she realized she enjoyed working with marine animals and supporting local community efforts. Emboldened by this experience, she went “down under” and received a M.S. in Marine Biology at James Cook University in Australia. During her master’s, she developed a keen interest in fisheries and human factors influencing marine science. As part of her degree, Emelia participated in collaborative research with the Wildlife Conservation Society, an international NGO, on gender-focused livelihood projects in Southeast Asian fishing communities. Inspired by this research experience, Emelia decided to dive deeper into gender inequity issues in fisheries by pursuing her PhD at URI.

Emelia’s research will focus on how fisheries policy can contribute to equitable social, economic, and environmental impacts for coastal communities. Mateja Nenadovic and Carlos Garcia-Quijano will serve as co-advisors on her research. Emelia sees herself working across fields, helping communities to create equitable and sustainable fisheries management plans. 

In her spare time, Emelia is an avid hiker and artist. Her favorite activity is enjoying a walk with her fiancé and two dogs.