Andrew McKenzie is Associate Professor of Linguistics and Affiliate Professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Kansas. He obtained his PhD from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2012. His research in formal semantics uncovers the ways that context and configuration combine to construct meaning; he also applies semantics and pragmatics to real-life problems, viz., analyzing ambiguous communication in the operating room, and exploring the linguistic effects of long-term space travel. A member of the Kiowa Tribe, he conducts theory-driven documentation of the endangered Kiowa language, collaborating with teachers and speakers to make archived stories and recordings accessible.