Rhema Bjorkland is a conservation ecologist with research experience in biodiversity conservation in marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Rhema has taught courses on international environmental treaties and participated in meetings of United Nations treaty organizations. She has taught Global Biodiversity Governance since 2020.

Rhema currently serves as contract staff scientist for the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO). As staff scientist, she supports the coordination of Federal nanotechnology research in environmental, health and safety, and international standards.

She joined the NNCO after completing an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship at the U.S. EPA.  As a Fellow in EPA’s Risk Assessment Division, she provided statistical support for human health and ecological risk assessment for several categories of industrial chemicals including engineered nanomaterials. Prior to taking up the fellowship, she worked as a postdoctoral research associate at NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, Washington. Her postdoctoral research extended her dissertation research on developing tools and models to reduce fisheries discards and the catch of protected species in Caribbean fisheries.