Josheena is a doctoral candidate in the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources (E-IPER) at Stanford University. She researches marine governance in small island states currently facing the impacts of climate change, with a focus on the Western Indian Ocean, and particularly her home country, the Republic of Mauritius. Her doctoral work is situated at the nexus of political ecology and marine policy and focuses on adaptive management of marine protected areas (MPAs), community inclusion, and the valorization of natural and cultural heritage in ocean governance. She intends to use her community-based research on MPAs to further explore the complexities of local environmental stewardship efforts and environmental identity in a post-colonial context. Josheena has most recently worked on assessing the social impacts of COVID-19 and the 2020 Wakashio oil spill disaster on coastal communities in Mauritius. She was also the lead researcher for fisher communities under the Market Evolution for Small-scale Fisheries in Africa (MESA) project. Prior to coming to Stanford, she worked as a program manager for a marine conservation NGO in Mauritius, where she spearheaded several environmental awareness campaigns, including a marine Eco-Guide certification program for tourist operators around a marine park, and was actively involved in the first national closure of octopus fisheries, a pioneering initiative led by multiple stakeholder groups. She is motivated to pursue her current research because of her personal connections in her communities of study.
