Aixa Alemán-Díaz was a Mellon/ACLS public fellow and an engagement project manager at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth. Alemán-Díaz holds a Ph.D. from American University and a M.A. from Rutgers University in sociocultural anthropology. Her research examines senses of place, issues of access, and the multiple uses of coasts, including public and protected areas, among residents of Puerto Rico, a society marked by inequality. Additional past professional positions include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Science Foundation, and scientific and educational consulting with nonprofits and Hispanic-serving institutions in Puerto Rico. Her previous national fellowships include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Sea Grant Knauss science policy fellowship, NSF graduate research fellowship, and the National Institutes of Health’s UGSP scholarship. Alemán-Díaz pursued her B.A., a double major in psychology and anthropology, at the University of Michigan, and upon graduation, she completed a year at the National Institutes of Health conducting social and behavioral research.