Katharine Legun

Katharine Legun is an Associate Professor in the Knowledge, Technology and Innovation Group at Wageningen University & Research. She specializes in environmental sociology, agricultural politics, and the socio-material dynamics of food systems. Her work explores how technologies, plants, and social structures interact to shape agricultural practices and food justice. She holds a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2013) and previously worked at the University of Otago in New Zealand.

Key Projects:

• "Plants and Power": Examines botany, social power, and AI in food systems.
• "Food Security Intelligence": A global initiative addressing data justice in food security.
• "MaaraTech": Investigates decision automation in orchards and vineyards.

Research Interests: Focuses on more-than-human relations, plant breeding technologies, data justice, and the politics of care in agriculture. She advocates for equitable and sustainable agricultural systems through interdisciplinary collaboration.

Professional Roles:

• President of the International Sociological Association's Research Committee on the Sociology of Agriculture and Food (ISA RC-40).
• Co-editor of the Cambridge Handbook of Environmental Sociology (2020).

Grants & Funding: Supported by the National Science Foundation, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and New Zealand Ministry of Business.

Labs/Teams: Active in the Wageningen Global Sustainability Program and contributes to the Biological Economies research network.