Kelly Alexander

Kelly Alexander is an Assistant Professor and George B. Tindall Fellow at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her interdisciplinary work bridges cultural anthropology and journalism, focusing on food's ethical, political, and cultural dimensions. She previously worked as a journalist for Food & Wine and Saveur, winning a James Beard Award for her work on food journalist Clementine Paddleford.

Education: PhD in Cultural Anthropology (Duke University, 2020), M.A. Cultural Anthropology (Duke, 2017), B.S.J. Journalism (Northwestern University, 1995).

Research interests include food waste redistribution in EU social welfare systems, food ethics, and the intersection of food practices with community identity. Her recent ethnography, Truffles & Trash, examines food redistribution networks in Brussels. She also writes for major media outlets like The Washington Post and Vogue.

Teaching focuses on food studies, American cultural history, and ethnographic methods. Courses include 'Food & American Culture' and 'The Cookbook in Theory & Practice.'