Jesse Jonkman

Jesse Jonkman is an Assistant Professor in International Development Studies at Utrecht University's Faculty of Geosciences, specializing in political and environmental anthropology. His research examines resource extraction, state formation, and infrastructure politics, primarily in Colombia.

Core research themes:

• Resource extraction and territorial governance
• Subterranean politics and materiality
• Infrastructural improvisation and autonomy
• Transnational mining networks

Recent publications (2018-2025) reveal three dominant clusters: ethnographic examinations of small-scale mining (53%), methodological reflections on resource studies (20%), and critical analyses of sustainable extraction discourses (13%). His work consistently engages with Latin American political ecology and decolonial approaches.

Honors:

• JC Ruigrok Award from Royal Dutch Society of Sciences
• FSW Dissertation Prize for outstanding PhD thesis

Current Projects:

• NWO-Veni grant on gold supply chain transparency (2024-2028)
• Postdoctoral research on material practices in mining regions