Anna Henkel

Professor Anna Henkel holds the Chair of Sociology with a focus on the sociology of technology and sustainable development at the University of Passau since 2019. She serves as a deputy member of the "Committee on Safety and Health at Work" of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs since August 2021. Her academic work bridges sociological theory with empirical research on sustainability and digital transformation, demonstrating significant leadership in interdisciplinary approaches to contemporary societal challenges.

Professor Henkel's research interests span several interconnected fields:

• Sociological Theory and Social Systems Analysis
• Materiality Studies and Human-Material Relations
• Sustainability Research and Environmental Sociology
• Digitalization and Societal Transformation
• Stress in Modern Society and Societal Expectations

Her publication record reveals a distinctive scholarly trajectory that increasingly focuses on the intersection of digital technologies and sustainability challenges, particularly examining Digital Farming and Industry 4.0 applications in agriculture and forestry. She has developed a theoretical approach that combines social theoretical thinking with empirical work to understand contemporary societal transformations, with particular emphasis on how societal challenges become plausible and how taken-for-granted aspects of social life emerge and change. Her work on the "10 Minutes of Sociology" lecture series has created an innovative platform for interdisciplinary dialogue on topics including responsibility, sustainability, and digitalization.

Professor Henkel has been actively involved in multiple significant research projects including FutureCropFarming (examining crop production systems of the future), DFG Network SONA (providing a sociological voice in the sustainability debate), and NEMo (addressing sustainable mobility needs in rural areas). She serves as co-editor of several important book series including "Soziologie der Nachhaltigkeit" in the transcript Verlag (since 2021), "10 Minutes Soziologie" in the transcript Verlag (since 2017), and "Dimensionen der Sorge" in the Nomos-Verlag (since 2014), demonstrating her leadership in shaping contemporary sociological discourse around sustainability and related themes.