Patricia Biermayr-Jenzano is a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Latin American Studies, and Adjunct Professor for the Science, Technology and International Affairs Program at Edmond A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. She has conducted extensive research on social and political trends that affect sustainable development and environmental issues in Latin America. She specializes in how ethnicity, race and gender determine ways in which traditional societies and Indigenous Peoples conserve biodiversity and natural resources. Other areas of research include work in Bolivia and the Andes region, evaluating education approaches directed at indigenous and rural women.