Anastasia is a food systems researcher with several years of experience working on collaborative and transdisciplinary projects. Her doctoral dissertation explores the role of territorial markets in food systems transformation, with a particular focus on how these kinds of food systems may promote diverse values, the influence of internal and external power dynamics on their governance structures, and their links to food sovereignty and agroecological movements. Anastasia has a diverse research background, having worked on a range of projects and research initiatives on topics such as the influence of geopolitics on global food security, Indigenous-led protected areas governance, Indigenous Peoples and community participation in global policy spaces, among others. Her prior research experience has centered around boundary and community-based approaches to research prioritizing meaningful partnerships and collaboration with communities.

Anastasia holds a Master of Environmental Studies from Dalhousie University. Her master’s research was a community-partnered project with two Mi’kmaw organizations, the Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources and the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq, that explored governance mechanisms and Mi’kmaw values and aspirations for Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas in Nova Scotia. Following her time at Dalhousie, Anastasia continued to work as a research assistant and took on consultant positions on projects within Canada and globally. Through this work, Anastasia had the privilege to work on community and land use planning projects, infrastructure development initiatives, community emergency response planning, and environmental and social impact assessments. These experiences have shaped how she approaches her research on food systems: maintaining an adaptive, dedicated, and curious mindset.

Anastasia is committed to bringing a participatory and transdisciplinary lens to her work and is motivated by contributing to projects and initiatives that are supportive of efforts to promote food systems change grounded in resilience, equity, and in alignment with principles of food sovereignty.