The EDGES Research Collaborative is very pleased to welcome a new member, Kate Lai Reynolds, who is working on her Master’s of Arts degree under the supervision of Prof. Leila Harris at UBC’s Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability! More about Kate below:

Contact email: kreynol@student.ubc.ca

Kate’s research, rooted in feminist political ecology, explores the impact of recent olive tree management practices on the displacement and livelihoods of Palestinian women in the West Bank. Her broader research interests intersect ecology, identity, gender, and conflict, employing interdisciplinary methods to address key questions in this space.

Kate holds a BA in Geography with minors in Political Science and Arabic Studies from the University of Oregon. She conducted her first research project in Mafraq, Jordan, where she analyzed the role of hydroponic agriculture on social cohesion between Syrian refugees and Jordanian residents. Her undergraduate thesis applied the criminalization of harvesting wild za’atar in the West Bank to green colonialism in the context of the greater conflict. As an undergraduate she worked as a geospatial analyst in the NASA Develop Program and a policy intern in the Oregon state legislature.

In her spare time Kate loves playing soccer, finding good places to eat at, and pottery.