Rachael Vriezen is a PhD student in the Global Governance program at the Balsillie School of International Affairs. Her doctoral dissertation will focus on the effects of climate change on the global agrifood industry and the resultant implications for food security. Rachael’s other research interests include evidence synthesis, research quality, consumer food choices and food safety, and the impacts of climate change on human and animal health and welfare.

Rachael holds a BA (Hons) in Economics and a BA (Hons) in International Development, with a specialization in economics and business development, from the University of Guelph. She also holds a Master’s of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics (MFARE) from the University of Guelph. Her master’s research synthesized evidence on the effects of heat stress on milk production and mortality in dairy cattle, which sparked her interest in the effects of environmental changes on agricultural production and food systems.

Following the completion of her master’s degree, Rachael worked as a research assistant with the Department of Food, Agricultural & Resource Economics at the University of Guelph, where she led evidence synthesis projects on topics connected to consumer food preferences. More recently, she was a research assistant with the Climate Change and Global Health Research Group at the University of Alberta’s School of Public Health, where she provided support for evidence synthesis projects, scientific writing and publication development, and other research activities on topics related to climate change and health.