Dr. Pauline Macharia pursued her PhD studies in Natural Sciences at the Vienna Technical University (TU Wien) with funding support from the APPEAR Programme, focusing on optimizing energy use for water supply systems. After successfully completing her PhD in November 2021, Pauline had a shift in her career trajectory, from a researcher and lecture which she did in her home country Kenya prior to commencing her PhD, to working in international development. Her first engagement was as a project manager with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), supporting the implementation of a project on the nexus between human mobility and climate change, and addressing migration induced by environmental degradation, within IOM’s Migration, Environment and Climate Change Division (now Climate Action Division) in Sierra Leone. In July 2023, Pauline was appointed the Programme Coordinator to lead coordination efforts for the return and reintegration of stranded migrants who voluntarily return home. Under this programme, migrants are supported to reintegrate sustainably within their communities through entrepreneurship and skills building interventions. Since December 2024, Pauline has been the Office-In-Charge of IOM Sierra Leone. In this position Pauline plays a key role in representing the organization in key and strategic fora with government, development partners and key stakeholders as well as other UN and international agencies, exploring partnerships and collaborations to support migration coordination in Sierra Leone.
Grateful for the funding opportunity provided by the APPEAR programme, Pauline says that pursuing her PhD while at the same time raising a young family in Austria was a huge undertaking which greatly molded her self-motivation and resilience. Interacting with people from different cultures honed her interpersonal skills, and the immense support and mentorship - received from her supervisors Prof. Nobert Kreuzinger, Prof. Kitaka and Dr. Paul Yillia - was an inspiration to achieve her dreams and enhance the spirit of collaboration. Exploring different cities in Austria and sampling different cultures provided an unforgettable moment while the regular meetups organized by APPEAR was a great platform to exchange and learn. Benefiting from regular migration pathways as a student both in Austria and in the Netherlands, Pauline has keen interest in supporting young people to invest in tapping into their potentials at home and abroad, and those who wish to migrate should do so using established regular pathways to avoid the risks and dangers of irregular migration.
Pauline has published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international conferences on topics such as water quality, energy use for drinking water supply and water resources management.
