Anja Bless

Anja Bless is a Lecturer in International Studies and Global Societies at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Faculty of Design and Society. She completed her PhD on The Politics of Regenerative Agriculture: Looking beyond the farm gate with the Institute of Sustainable Futures at UTS in February 2025. Previously, she held positions as a PhD Candidate, Research Assistant, and Casual Academic at UTS, as well as teaching roles at the University of Sydney and University of Melbourne.

Her educational background includes a Master of Environment (Distinction) in Sustainable Food Systems from the University of Melbourne (2019-2020) and a First Class Honours Degree in Government and International Relations from the University of Sydney (2014-2018).

Bless's research focuses on environmental politics, food politics and policy, sustainable food systems, and sustainable consumption. Her work examines the intersection of regenerative agriculture, corporate influence, and policy frameworks, with particular attention to power dynamics within the global food system. She has published extensively on how regenerative agriculture is being shaped by neoliberal economic contexts and corporate interests.

Her recent publications reveal a strong focus on analyzing regenerative agriculture through multiple lenses including political economy, environmental governance, and food system transformation. Her work consistently examines the tensions between corporate co-optation of sustainable agriculture movements and their potential for genuine transformation.

• Faculty of Science Dean's Honours List (2021)
• Public Service Association of New South Wales John S D'Arcy Memorial Prize (2019)
• University of Sydney Academic Merit Prize (2018)
• Emeritus Professor F.A. Bland Prize for Government III (2018)

Bless has served as a peer reviewer for journals including Transformations and Agriculture and Human Values. She is a member of the HEAL Network at the Australian National University and the Sydney Environment Institute. Her teaching portfolio includes courses on sustainability, geopolitics, Australian foreign policy, and the Asia Pacific region at both UTS and the University of Sydney.