Mackenzie Klema
Research Assistant, School of Social and Political Science
Mackenzie is a Research Assistant working on the Refugee Labour under Lockdown project. She first joined the team as part of the From the Field project, analyzing visual ethnographic data to explore the impacts of COVID-19 on the food security of displaced Syrians in Lebanon and northern Syria as part of her MSc dissertation. Mackenzie has a background in agriculture, education, fundraising, and international development. She was previously a Development Manager at The Resolution Project, where she oversaw fundraising and grant writing for a NYC-based nonprofit that funds, mentors, and supports young social entrepreneurs in 80 countries. She was also a founding staff member at The School for Field Studies Center for Conservation and Development Studies in Cambodia, where she helped develop an environmental fieldwork program for American undergraduate students. She has also taught English and environmental studies at a Cambodian university and across the United States. Mackenzie has a BA in Environmental Studies and History from Wellesley College, and a MSc in Environment and Development from the University of Edinburgh. Mackenzie’s research interests include rural agricultural livelihoods and food security, gender, climate change adaptation, and ethnographic, participatory research methods.