Frida Hastrup

Frida Hastrup is a Professor of Ethnology at the Saxo Institute within the Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen. She directs the Centre for Sustainable Futures and leads the interdisciplinary Cattle Crossroads project (2021-2025), funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark with approximately 12 million DKK. Her academic trajectory includes promotions from Assistant Professor (2012-2015) to Associate Professor (2015-2025) before attaining her current professorship in 2025.

Education:

• PhD in Anthropology, University of Copenhagen (2009)
• MA in Sociology of Religion, University of Copenhagen (2003)
• University Teacher course, University of Copenhagen (2011)
• Research Project Management certification (2014)
• Research Leadership course (2020)

Research Focus: Hastrup specializes in people-environment relations examining natural resource management, agricultural production systems, climate change adaptation, and the Anthropocene. Her second core area explores knowledge production through ethnographic methods, multispecies anthropology, science and technology studies, and collaborative exhibition work. She pioneers interdisciplinary approaches bridging environmental humanities with practical sustainability transitions.

Publication Trends: Recent scholarship demonstrates consistent focus on sustainable livestock systems within planetary boundaries, particularly Danish dairy farming and Greenlandic resource politics. Her work increasingly integrates multispecies perspectives with policy interventions, using ethnographic and exhibition-based methods to address ecological crises. Key themes include green transition governance, metabolic flows in agriculture, and indigenous environmental knowledge systems.

Scientific Recognition:

• Legat from H.K.H. Kronprins Frederiks Fond (2006)

Mentorship and Funding: Hastrup supervises students at all academic levels including PhD candidates and junior faculty. She secured a Sapere Aude Starting Grant (7 million DKK, 2013-2016) for "Natural Goods? Processing Raw Materials in Global Times" and currently leads the 12 million DKK Cattle Crossroads project. As member of UCPH Green Solutions Center's development group, she shapes institutional sustainability strategy while teaching ethnographic methods and cultural analysis courses.

Research Infrastructure: Through the Centre for Sustainable Futures, Hastrup coordinates cross-departmental collaborations between anthropologists, environmental scientists, and policymakers. The Cattle Crossroads project operates as a dynamic hub connecting veterinary researchers, agricultural economists, and farming communities to develop climate-resilient livestock models through participatory knowledge co-creation.