Kiana Nadonza is a cultural anthropologist whose research focuses on the Philippines and diaspora with interests in beauty pageantry, gender, postcolonial theory, cultural heritage and tourism, and political economies of Southeast Asia. Her Master's research analyzed the cultural politics of beauty, skin, and nation in India and the Philippines. Her PhD research explores the centrality of pageantry within the Philippines, particularly how the phenomenon shapes constructions of nationalism, community building, ethnic identity, and effects of globalization. She is of Waray ancestry (Guiuan).

Prior to joining the Department of Anthropology as a graduate student, Kiana worked in Charlottesville, VA, for museum education and special projects at the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, as well as refugee resettlement services at the International Rescue Committee. She has previously conducted fieldwork with indigenous communities in Madre de Dios, Peru, and Pastaza, Ecuador, at the intersections of cultural autonomy and activism, legal pluralism, and ecotourism.