Rita is a PhD student in sociocultural anthropology with a focus on multispecies ethnography and human-animal relations. Her MA thesis focused on how accredited U.S. zoos aim to support wildlife conservation and create a conservation-minded community by curating immersive multispecies experiences. Rita had examined how zoos may practice conservation through the frameworks of biopolitics and managed care, spectacle and nonhuman animal display, affect generation, and mainstream neoliberal conservation paradigms. 

Prior to beginning graduate study, Rita taught English in Henan Province, China, from 2016-2018.

Rita's current research interests include the ownership/caretaking of companion animals, multispecies families, pet retention, and paradigms of animal sheltering and welfare in the U.S./Midwest.