Eva Bendix Petersen

Eva Bendix Petersen serves as Professor in the Department of People and Technology at Roskilde University, Denmark, specializing in ethnographic analysis of academic cultures and higher education policy reform. Her work critically examines neoliberal transformations in universities through theoretical frameworks including Foucault's governmentality, actor-network theory, and post-structural discourse analysis.

Her educational background features a PhD in Sociology from the University of Copenhagen (2004), an MA in Psychology and History from Roskilde University (1999), and a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education from Monash University (2009). These qualifications underpin her interdisciplinary approach to educational research.

Petersen's research centers on three interconnected domains: the political implications of student well-being agendas in reshaping university missions; academic citizenship as radical practice amid institutional transitions; and critical examinations of neoliberal governance through psychometric indicators. Her methodology combines ethnographic fieldwork with narrative theory to expose power dynamics in educational settings, particularly regarding how policy enactments reconfigure academic labor and pedagogical practices. Recent work increasingly focuses on affective dimensions of resistance in academia and the hidden curricula of well-being initiatives.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2022-2024) reveals escalating concern with datafication in university governance and the paradoxical effects of well-being policies that simultaneously empower and constrain academic work. Her scholarship consistently bridges theoretical critique with practical interventions in problem-based learning environments, demonstrating particular attention to doctoral education and collaborative learning frameworks across diverse institutional contexts.

As an academic developer, Petersen actively supervises doctoral candidates and has led eight major research projects including 'Reclaiming Study Practices' (2019) and investigations into problem-oriented project learning. Her grant portfolio demonstrates sustained engagement with Danish higher education policy through consultancy work on academic diversity and mapping of adjunct education programs. She maintains active collaboration with the Centre for Research on Problem-oriented Project Learning and regularly contributes to national academic development initiatives.

Petersen's institutional presence extends through leadership in academic citizenship initiatives and frequent workshops on critical university studies. Her recent activities include keynote addresses on interdisciplinary inquiry-based learning and analyses of the 'implicit VIP' in university pedagogy, reflecting her commitment to transforming academic practice through theoretically informed interventions.