Lola Vanmackelberg is a 22-year-old French student currently enrolled in the first year of a Master’s degree in Geography, Planning, Environment, and Development at the Faculty of Economics, Social Sciences, and Territories at the University of Lille. She began her academic path with a year of preparatory classes for the French competitive entrance exams (hypokhâgne), specializing in cartography. She then pursued studies in Geography and Planning at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne before transferring to the University of Lille for the second year of her undergraduate program.

Alongside her academic studies, she has worked for the past three years as a teacher of History, Geography, and Civic Education at Adulphe Delegorgue middle school in Courcelles-lès-Lens. She is also a swimming coach, training individuals of all ages at a regional competitive level. With a broad range of interests, she is particularly sensitive to environmental issues, including ecosystem restoration and preservation. Her academic focus centers on how societies and populations adapt to environmental transformations, especially in contexts involving risk. This interest draws on key concepts such as risk, vulnerability, adaptation, and resilience, as developed in the fields of risk geography and global change. Her objective is to analyze how territories respond to the impacts of climate change and reorganize their lifestyles, infrastructure, and public policies in relation to environmental constraints.

This internship represents an important milestone in her academic journey, both scientifically and personally. Conducting fieldwork in Central Asia offers a rare opportunity to broaden her perspective, compare her knowledge with contexts beyond Europe, and develop a more nuanced understanding of territorial dynamics on a global scale.

Through this experience, she seeks to deepen her understanding of the research profession and gain practical insight into the daily production of scientific knowledge. Her interest in research has steadily developed throughout her studies, and this internship provides an opportunity to further strengthen this potential career path by enhancing her autonomy, critical thinking, and practical skills.

Moreover, her stay in Central Asia reflects her strong interest in discovery, encouraging her to move beyond a predominantly Europe-centered perspective and to expand her understanding of global diversity. She is supervised by Dr. Denis Samyn and Dr. Vitalii Zaginaev at the Mountain Societies Research Institute, whose guidance plays a key role in developing her academic and research skills. She is pleased to collaborate with the institute and expresses her sincere appreciation to the University of Central Asia for their trust and for providing the opportunity for this two-month field experience.