Mukta Kelkar

Mukta Kelkar is a California Sea Grant State Fellow at the State Water Resources Control Board Ocean Standards Unit. She completed her PhD at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UC Santa Barbara. Her graduate research bridged foundational ecology with applied conservation and social science in order to inform marine conservation methods for a changing climate. She used synthesis science and long-term ecological and oceanographic monitoring data to investigate how to improve climate resilience in marine protected areas. She also sought to understand public opinion around marine conservation and offshore wind. Prior to graduate school, Mukta completed an Americorps Fellowship with the City of Oakland’s Sustainability Program. She also organized with Sunrise Movement Bay Area and founded a successful fossil fuel divestment campaign at UC San Diego. Mukta hopes to integrate her dedication to climate justice with her training in ecological research to develop equitable solutions for marine conservation and coastal communities.