Kelsey C. Doyle (she/her/elle)

UBCO PhD STUDENT (2024-present)

Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies (global studies)

University of British Columbia | Okanagan Campus | Sylix Okanagan Nation Territory

Email Address: kelseycd@student.ubc.ca

Personal Website URL: www.kelseycdoyle.com

Research Interests: Ethnographic Film, Multimodal Anthropology, Citizen Filmmaking, Indigenous Knowledges, Oral Histories, Environmental Policy, Ethnography of Media, Anticolonial Lens, Restorative Justice, Community-led Research-Creation

Kelsey C. Doyle (she/her/elle) is a documentary filmmaker and visual anthropologist whose work bridges environmental justice, cultural storytelling, and experimental ethnography.

Currently pursuing a PhD at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan (Supervised by Dr. Fiona P. McDonald), Kelsey’s research focuses on oral histories, citizen filmmaking, and cultural survivance in Micronesia’s outer islands. Collaborating with Indigenous leaders, she documents traditional ecological knowledge and advocates for values-based environmental policies. As a graduate researcher with the Collaborative & Experimental Ethnography Lab (CE2 Lab), she investigates the intersections of anthropology, Indigenous theory, and experimental media.

Before beginning her PhD, Kelsey served as Associate Director of Digital Content at Stanford University and continues to volunteer as Media Director for One People One Reef, partnering with Micronesian communities to protect marine ecosystems. Her award-winning documentary Naretoi spotlights the resilience and leadership of Maasai women in Kenya. Earlier in her freelancing career, she worked with National Geographic Society, PBS NewsHour, and Filmmaker Magazine, developing expertise in visual storytelling and cross-cultural narratives.

Driven by a commitment to amplifying marginalized voices, Kelsey sees film as a powerful tool for social change—reshaping how we understand ourselves and the world. Through her filmmaking and community-led research, she strives to bridge cultural and generational divides, creating space for underrepresented voices and challenging dominant colonial perspectives.

Education

University of British Columbia Okanagan, CCGS, (Canada), PhD student in Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies 2024-present

New York University, Masters of Arts in News and Documentary Journalism 2014-2016

University of California Santa Cruz, Bachelor of Arts Honours (Major:Film and Digital Media, Concentration in Production)  2009-2013