Alexa Weik von Mossner

Assoc. Prof. Alexa Weik von Mossner holds the position of Associate Professor of American Studies at the University of Klagenfurt's Department of English. Her academic journey includes a Habilitation in American Studies (2016) from Klagenfurt and a Ph.D. in Literature (2008) from UC San Diego, preceded by a career in Germany's film industry as a production manager and screenwriter. Her research focuses on Affective Narratology, Ecocriticism, and Cosmopolitanism, with notable works including Affective Ecologies (2017) and Cosmopolitan Minds (2014).

**Education:**

• 2016: Habilitation in American Studies (University of Klagenfurt)
• 2008: Ph.D. in Literature (UC San Diego)
• 2006: M.A. in Literatures in English (UC San Diego)
• 1994: Dipl. Wirt. Ing. (Industrial Engineering, Stuttgart Media University)

**Research Interests:**
Her work bridges literary studies and environmental science, exploring how narratives shape emotional responses to ecological crises. Key themes include climate change representation, intersectional food justice, and the ethical dimensions of transnational storytelling. She pioneered Empirical Ecocriticism, integrating quantitative methods with literary analysis.

**Current Projects:**
She is a Visiting Professor for Media and Cultural Studies at the University of Freiburg and recently completed Growing Hope: Narratives of Food Justice (Cambridge UP, under contract). Her research project Narrative Encounters with Ethnic American Literatures (2018–2022), funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), examines intersectional storytelling in American ethnic literatures.

**Grants & Leadership:**
Principal Investigator for FWF-funded research (2018–2022), highlighting her role in shaping interdisciplinary environmental humanities initiatives. Her work often involves collaborative projects between academia and creative industries.

**Labs/Teams:**
Leads the Empirical Ecocriticism initiative at Klagenfurt, fostering transdisciplinary research on environmental narratives. Collaborates with filmmakers and NGOs to develop climate communication strategies.