People

Petr Jehlička obtained his PhD in social and political sciences at Cambridge University, UK. His research is located in agri-food and environmental studies and revolves around everyday environmentalism and sustainable food consumption at the intersection of formal and informal food economies. More recently he has explored these topics in relation to inequalities in the geography of knowledge production. A significant strand of his research engaged in critical analyses of the attempts to transfer food innovations from the West to the East European region. Petr’s work on these topics has been published in Progress in Human Geography, Agriculture and Human Values, Journal of Rural Studies, and Political Geography, among others.
More info here: https://www.eu.avcr.cz/en/about-us/staff/petr-jehlicka/index.html

Kateřina Joštová earned her bachelor’s degree in Natural and Cultural Heritage Management from the University College of Northern Denmark and a master’s degree in Spatial Design and Society from Roskilde University. During her master’s studies, she explored the societal aspects of designed places, products, and processes. At the Institute of Ethnology, Kateřina supports researchers by assisting with project proposals, reporting, and implementation at both national and European levels. In the RESOURCE project, she oversees administrative tasks, providing support to the Principal Investigator and the entire team.
More info here: https://www.eu.avcr.cz/en/about-us/staff/katerina-jostova/

Maike Melles completed her PhD in Social and Cultural Anthropology at Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany. Her research activities focused on landscapes, resources, and heritage in southwestern Spain, where she conducted ethnographic fieldwork for 13 months. She taught International Relations at the University of Münster and Anthropology at Goethe University Frankfurt. Prior to her PhD, Maike earned an MA in Peace and Conflict Research at Goethe University Frankfurt and Technical University Darmstadt in 2017 that followed her BAs in German Studies, Anthropology, Political Science and Economics at the Universities of Münster and Warsaw (2009-2015).
More info here: https://www.eu.avcr.cz/en/about-us/staff/maike-melles/

Daniel Sosna obtained his PhD in anthropology at Florida State University, USA. His early career was focused on researching the social organization and mortuary practices of past societies. Daniel’s recent research falls into discard studies and builds methodologically upon ethnography and garbology. His interests include economics and politics of waste, ethics in waste management, multispecies encounters with waste, and resource use. His regional expertise is in Central Europe. Daniel taught courses at the University of West Bohemia, Charles, Florida State, and Masaryk Universities. He currently serves as the deputy director for evaluation and chair of the board of the Institute of Ethnology, Czech Academy of Sciences.
More info here: https://www.eu.avcr.cz/en/about-us/staff/daniel-sosna/index.html

Committed researcher and teacher navigating health-sustainability interfaces. Evelien holds an MPhil degree with Honours in Geography and the Environment from Oxford University, and did her PhD at the Technology, Innovation and Society group at Eindhoven University of Technology. Her transdisciplinary research and education is rooted in STS, critical geography, post- and decolonial studies and connected history. Empirical foci include e.g. international trade in major commodities such as soy and palm oil, food systems (including food self-provisioning), biofuels, smart urbanism, sustainable healthcare innovation and systems, rural transformation, policy evaluation, and more. She is involved in a variety of projects in which she collaborates with a wide variety of societal stakeholders to produce transformative knowledge for more inclusive, healthy and sustainable futures across the world.
More info here: https://research.vu.nl/en/persons/evelien-de-hoop

Lucie Sovová is based at the Rural Sociology Group of Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Her work revolves around alternative economic thought and practice, particularly in relation to food and agriculture. She is interested in food provisioning practices that are not only more environmentally friendly, but that also create distinctive socio-economic relations geared towards wellbeing of more-than-human communities, care and solidarity. Lucie’s work is geographically situated in Europe, with a particular interest in the dynamics between the European West and East.
More info here: https://www.wur.nl/en/persons/lucie-sovova.htm

Esther Veen was trained as a rural sociologist at Wageningen University, the Netherlands, and worked as an applied researcher at Wageningen Plant Research. She wrote a PhD on community gardens at the Rural Sociology Chair Group of Wageningen University, after which she worked as an associate professor for the same chair group. Esther currently works as an applied professor of Urban Food Issues at Aeres University of Applied Sciences Almere. In this position, she investigates how the food environment can encourage a healthier and more sustainable diet. Her research focuses on the urban consumer and the city of Almere. Esther pays specific attention to connecting research and education.
More info here: https://www.aereshogeschool.nl/onderzoek/lectoraten/stedelijke-voedselvraagstukken