Desirée Kumpf

Desirée Kumpf is a Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology's Department of Anthropology of Politics and Governance. Her work bridges environmental anthropology, multispecies ethnography, and ecological conservation.

• Education: BA in Anthropology and Media (Goldsmiths University of London), MA in Cultural History and Theory (Humboldt University of Berlin), PhD in Anthropology (University of Leipzig)

Research interests focus on ecological transformations through:

• Monocultural plantations and rewilding initiatives
• Human-nonhuman species interdependencies
• Organic agriculture's socio-ecological impacts
• Conservation policies in Europe and India

Her fieldwork spans Italy, Germany, and India, examining tensions between ecological control and biodiversity preservation.

• Awards: EASA Award for Anthropology of Food
• Visiting researcher: Istanbul University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Schumacher College, Aarhus University