Janica is pursuing a PhD in Agroecology at the Department of Plant and Soil Science, and is also a Gund fellow through the Economics for the Anthropocene program (E4A). Her dissertation work is linked to a three-year, collaborative and participatory research project, Assessment of Diversification Strategies in Smallholder Coffee Systems of Mesoamerica. The project explores economic, ecological and social impacts of selected diversification strategies in smallholder coffee communities in Mexico and Nicaragua. Her Master’s thesis in Development Studies focused on social and economic impacts of coffee rust on small-scale coffee farmers’ livelihoods in Chiapas, Mexico. Between and during her studies, she has worked in several environmental, educational and human rights NGOs in Finland and abroad.

Janica enjoys hiking, walking, biking, foraging mushrooms and picking berries, growing vegetables, preserving food, reading, photography, arts and crafts, and listening to (live) music. Coming from a country of forests and lakes, she fells home around trees and water, and is excited about exploring the nature of Vermont.

Advisor: Ernesto Méndez