Kim Fortun

Kim Fortun is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine, specializing in environmental risk and disaster studies. Her interdisciplinary research combines comparative ethnography, environmental governance, and science and technology studies (STS). She examines how communities in India and the United States address industrial disasters, air pollution, and systemic vulnerabilities through experimental ethnographic methods.

• Institution: University of California, Irvine
• Department: Department of Anthropology
• Research Focus: Environmental disasters, air pollution, interdisciplinary collaboration, environmental governance
• Key Collaborations: Partnered with Michael Fortun (Associate Professor, UCI Anthropology) and AirUCI faculty on air pollution research

Her work highlights intersectional vulnerabilities in environmental crises, particularly how atmospheric, political, and ecological systems interact in "combo disasters." She also explores the historical evolution of environmental science and public health frameworks.

Kim Fortun's synergistic activities include editorial roles in Political and Legal Anthropology Review and contributions to open-access initiatives in cultural anthropology. She teaches courses on environmental studies, STS, and ethnographic research design.