Tamara Nyirenda

Tamara is a Research, Collaboration, and Innovation Intern within the Coordination Hub of PlanAdapt and the Co-Adaptation Lab.

Operating remotely from Malawi, she is deeply passionate about the intersection of climate change, its impacts, and the responses of the communities it affects. Her academic pursuits have led her to explore the influence of policy on agricultural adaptation to climate change, and she is particularly interested in how climate change science and adaptation can be effectively integrated with the communities most affected by these changes to ultimately have economically feasible and adaptive adaptation options. 

Tamara’s professional experience includes a tenure at the Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST), where she contributed to a USAID-funded Innovation Scholar Project in collaboration with Michigan State University. Her role involved supporting scholars as they developed innovative solutions to developmental challenges in Malawi. She also played a significant role in the MUST Agri-Tech Project, funded by the Foundation for a Smoke-free World and coordinated by the Centre for Agricultural Transformation in Malawi. This project focused on identifying and advancing innovative solutions to the agricultural challenges faced by smallholder farmers in Malawi. Tamara also collaborates with consultancy firms such as the Earth Institute of Research and Education, conducting short to medium-term research in Environment and Climate Change fields. 

At PlanAdapt, Tamara contributes to research initiatives and supports the Climate Co-Adaptation Lab in fostering collaboration and innovation. This role allows her to further develop her research, project coordination, and M&E skills, contributing to her professional growth.

Tamara holds a Master’s degree in Climate Change Adaptation from the University of Nairobi, a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Integrated Environmental Science from the University of Namibia, and a Diploma in Environmental Management for Sustainable Development from the Natural Resources College of Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources.