Brit Maria Bulah

Brit Maria Bulah is a Research Associate at the Athena Institute and Network Institute within the Faculty of Science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Her work focuses on sustainability transitions in food systems through EU-funded projects including VISION4FOOD, CLEVERFOOD, and FOSTER.

Her research spans sustainability transitions, food systems transformation, and stakeholder engagement with specific emphasis on plant-based diets and meat alternatives. She investigates governance frameworks and knowledge dynamics to generate actionable insights for just and resilient food systems, integrating innovation systems theory with practical transition pathways.

Recent publications (2023-2024) reveal consistent focus on protein transition governance, highlighting diversity-directionality tensions, framing mechanisms for dietary shifts, and institutional work in innovation. Key trends include cross-sectoral collaboration analysis, incumbent firm strategies in sustainable niches, and citizen engagement frameworks for systemic food transformation.

She actively contributes to major EU research initiatives: VISION4FOOD (scenario development for resilient food systems), CLEVERFOOD (cross-sectoral collaboration acceleration), and FOSTER (governance innovation). Current projects include 'Envisioning an integrated quadruple helix framework' (2025-2027) and 'Fostering food system transformation through heterogeneous perspectives' (2022-2026), demonstrating sustained funding in food system innovation.

Affiliated with Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam's Athena Institute and Network Institute, her work operates at the intersection of environmental governance, food innovation, and transition theory within these interdisciplinary research environments focused on societal transformation challenges.