Natalia Schwien Scott (she/they) is an herbalist, wildlife rescue & rehabilitation apprentice, and a Ph.D. Student in the Study of Religion at Harvard University. She researches relational ontologies, posthuman ethics, and diction on personhood in scientific discourse, specifically neuroscience. Her secondary degree is in Celtic Languages & Literatures where she explores trans-species soul migration and the role of plants in Old Irish mythology and Scottish Gaelic folklore.
In addition to her doctoral work, she holds three research and administrative roles at Harvard. She serves as the Associate Director for Harvard Divinity School's Program for the Evolution of Spirituality under Dr. Dan McKanan. The aim of the program is to support the scholarly study of emerging spiritual movements, marginalized spiritualities, and the innovative edges of established religious traditions. She leads "Interspecies Dialogues: A Conversation Group Exploring Animism, Post-humanism, and Entangled Roots of Interrelation" which regularly features a variety of scholars, writers, scientists, filmmakers, and animacy practitioners. Finally, she and Rachael Petersen co-launched “Thinking with Plants and Fungi Initiative” at the Center for the Study of World Religions in fall of 2022. She now serves as an Advisor and Program Associate for the Initiative as well as leads the program’s Reading Group.
She formerly held the position of Sustainability Specialist at Middlebury College's Franklin Environmental Center at Hillcrest in Vermont. In spring 2019, she completed her Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation coursework and exam, before apprenticing in Vermont and Massachusetts. She volunteers with wildlife rehabbers in both states including Wild on Blissville, ParkHill Wildlife Rehab, and Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Chelmsford, MA. As a practicing herbalist, Natalia has over 20 years of experience, including three years with Vanessa Chakour.
Natalia holds a Master of Theological Studies degree from Harvard Divinity School with a focus on the intersection of ecology and spiritual practice as well as a Master of Arts degree from Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English. Her research at Middlebury focused on fantasy literature and sci-fi, specifically on how authors designate personhood in their worldbuilding.
Before transitioning into environmental spheres, she was a member of the inaugural artistic team for Brooklyn's National Sawdust and the founding Director for its in-home recording label, FKA Via Records. During her time with National Sawdust/VisionIntoArt, she produced performances at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MASS MoCA, the Park Avenue Armory, Miami Art Basel, Pioneer Works, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and more. She graduated with a BFA in Film from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2013. Her work has been featured in New York Magazine, The New Yorker, Time Out New York, Vice, For The Wild, and more. She releases music under the moniker Ellayo.