Machiko is interested in electoral politics in sub-Saharan Africa. Her research examines constituency service by Members of Parliament in Tanzania with a focus on the introduction of a Constituency Development Fund (CDF) in the country in 2009.

A CDF is a government budget allocation mechanism to channel a specific portion of the national budget to each of the constituencies of Members of Parliament for small-scale development projects. CDFs are currently used in around fifteen developing countries worldwide, and they have particularly proliferated in sub-Saharan Africa over the last decade. Her research examines the Tanzanian case by focusing on two dimensions, politician-voter relationships and legislative/party politics, to highlight major political factors which led to the introduction of a CDF in the country.

She holds an MA in Governance and Development from IDS (2009) and an MA in International Development Studies from George Washington University (2003). She formerly worked at the United Nations Development Programme in New York (2004-05) and the Embassy of Japan in Tanzania (2005-08).