Mackenna is a Post-Doctoral Associate at MIT Kavli, working with Dr. Hans Moritz Guenthar. She completed her undergraduate studies in Physics at Clarkson University and her Master’s and PhD in Physics and Astronomy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Mackenna’s doctoral thesis focused on young stellar associations and the exoplanets they host. She is also passionate about scientific outreach, and has been involved in numerous events through programs such as Astronomy on Tap and the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center in Chapel Hill.