Michaela Alexandra Rychetska is a Research Assistant at the University of Oxford, jointly based in the Department of Engineering Science and the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. Her research examines the social and policy dimensions of energy transitions, particularly how low-carbon development can respond to local priorities and produce more equitable and inclusive outcomes.
Within CCG, Michaela contributes to research on critical minerals development in Zambia, including community benefit sharing and the social and environmental impacts of mining, as well as research on electricity access across Sub-Saharan Africa. She also supports the integration of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) across CCG-funded projects and works on policy research, stakeholder engagement, and knowledge exchange. Her wider research includes disability-inclusive low-carbon transitions and green hydrogen policy.
Michaela holds an MPhil in Environmental Change and Management from the University of Oxford and a BA (Hons) in Management and Leadership from the University of Manchester.