I am an environmental anthropologist, documentarian, and podcaster based at the University of California, Berkeley. My dissertation ethnographically examines Russia’s Far Eastern Hectare—a contemporary settler colonial project set amidst the ruins of the Soviet empire. This research grew out of my fascination with the Far Eastern countryside that has been going through a dramatic change following the collapse of the Soviet Union, widespread industry closures, and massive outmigration. Essentially, my work is concerned with the formation of what I call ‘feral ecologies’ that begin to emerge when both people and industries leave.

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I feel deeply that storytelling is anthropology’s most powerful asset, and I am committed to taking my research beyond the confines of academia by telling engaging stories through sound and visual media. In 2023, I released Ainu Fever, my first audio documentary that explores conservationism, land rights, and the layered colonial history of Sakhalin Island by following a complicated friendship between a Russian environmentalist and an Ainu community leader.

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When I’m not writing or tinkering with Adobe Audition, I like to interview fellow travelers for the Eurasian Knot, an audio podcast on Russian, East European, and Eurasian culture,

history, and politics.