Joana Formosinho

Joana Formosinho is a Research Fellow at the School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh, specializing in Science and Technology Studies (STS) with a focus on the social dimensions of contemporary life sciences. She holds an MSc in Holistic Science from the University of Plymouth (2014) and a BSc in Zoology from Queen Mary University of London (2001).

Research Focus

Her work explores three interconnected domains: social studies of microbiomes (examining biological-social interactions), synthetic biology ethics (developing collaborative governance frameworks for plant synthetic biology), and interdisciplinary methodologies (pioneering art-science collaborations and transdisciplinary engagement). Her research employs qualitative, philosophical, and arts-based approaches to address socio-biological complexities.

Publication Trends

Her recent articles (2020-2022) cluster around microbiome ethics, environmental humanities, and interdisciplinary methodologies, reflecting a shift from early zoological research (2003) toward STS-focused work. Key themes include holobiont theory, biomedical epistemology, and experimental governance.

Projects

• Gut wildfulness (2023-2024): Investigating socio-cultural dimensions of human gut microbiomes
• My microbial second skin (2023-2025): Visualizing human-microbe relationships through art-science collaborations

Awards

No scientific awards mentioned in source materials.