As the Philomathia Fellow in Water Policy, Kelsey’s research examines the norms, dynamics and mechanisms that underlie the management structure, composition, and politics of Indigenous water governance and how Indigenous Nations bordering Canada and the United States build resiliency in response to ecological changes and altered human activities. Her work is centered in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence River Basin and investigates the interjurisdictional coordination of Indigenous Nations, the United States, and Canada for transboundary water governance. Her aim is to expand the understanding of Indigenous water institutions as critical catalysts for the mobilization of US-Canada water decision-makers to value Indigenous epistemologies of caring for water. Kelsey Leonard is an enrolled citizen of the Shinnecock Indian Nation.