Dr. Poonnatree Jiaviriyaboonya is an accomplished academic with a focus on Anthropology. She currently holds the position of Assistant Professor and Lecturer at the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Science, Nakhon Phanom University.

Over the last 15 years, Mekhala’s research, publications, policy and professional engagements have involved work within and across a range of field sites and subjects, including women's courts and dispute resolution, community health workers and public health systems, agriculture and agricultural markets, and water, livelihood security and land acquisition. This has placed her in a variety of roles at the intersections of and in partnerships between academia, public policy, government, the private sector, and grassroots civil society organizations.