Yelena Yermakova holds an undergraduate degree is in Political Science from UCLA. She was recently awarded an MPA from Cornell University where she focused on the the Arctic region and the obstacles it faces in light of climate change. Currently (2018), as part of her Doctoral dissertation, she is developing a series of essays on the future governance of Antarctica within the project “Political Philosophy Looks to Antarctica,” under the supervision of Dr. Maria Alejandra Mancilla at the University of Oslo.