Kiandra Rajala

Kiandra joined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in 2021, as the Regional Social Scientist for the Midwest Region. Based in the Science Applications program, Kiandra works with all FWS programs in the Midwest to address human and social aspects of conservation through social science insights, applications, and integration. Kiandra also collaborates with other social scientists, in FWS and externally, on a variety of efforts to mainstream conservation social sciences. 

Previously, Kiandra worked as a Research Associate at Virginia Tech investigating how Great Plains private landowners perceive and respond to invasive species and environmental change. This work focused on people’s relationships with places, preferences for ecosystem services, and the constraining or enabling factors related to key conservation behaviors. 

Kiandra received her M.S. from Virginia Tech’s Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation (2018) and holds dual B.S. degrees from University of Montana (2013) in Forestry and Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management.