Kay Mars holds a Master of Science in Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies (Radboud University) and a Master of Science in Human Geography (University of Amsterdam). With a specialization in ‘Diversity, Multicultural Citizenship and Urban Geographies’, their latest thesis project revolved around the mapping of urban queer sexualities in Porto Alegre (RS), Brazil. Main themes in their projects include Queer Spatiality, Homeplace(s), Homonormativity, Critical Queer Geographies, and Intersectional Theory. Ethnographic research methods such as in-depth (group) interviewing and participant observation have been central in most of their research projects. “Translating” research and theory – be it to research informants, friends and family, but also to students and fellow academics – has always been an important element in their work. 

Kay has been involved in the Migration and Diversity Centre at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam from 2017 until 2019, where they coordinated seminars, forums, and academic workshops on issues related to Migration and/or Diversity. Additionally, they have also been involved in the program committees of respectively Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies (Radboud University) and Human Geography and Urban and Regional Planning (University of Amsterdam). Currently, Kay is involved as project coordinator and junior researcher within several projects on Inclusion/Exclusion and Engaged Scholarship within the Institute for Societal Resilience at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Their field of interest includes:
- Activist/engaged scholarship
- Intersectional Theory
- Queer Studies
- (Urban) Ethnography 

In the past years, they have been involved as junior teacher at the Department of Sociology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the following courses:

2020-2021:
- Methoden en Technieken van Kwalitatief Onderzoek (BA1-students & PM-students)
- Onderzoekspracticum 2: Verdieping van Kwalitatieve Methoden (BA2-students)
- Onderzoekslab: Discoursanalyse (MA-students)

2021-2022:
- Diversiteit in een Democratische Context (BA1-students)
- Onderzoekspracticum 2: Verdieping van Kwalitatieve Methoden (BA2-students)

- Onderzoekslab: Discoursanalyse (MA-students)

- Diversiteit 1 (BA-students, minor students)

- Diversiteit 2 (BA-students, minor students)

- Thesis co-supervision (MA-students)

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