Katie Ritson

Katie Ritson is an Assistant Professor in Scandinavian studies at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich and a Research Fellow at the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society. She previously served as an editor at the RCC from 2009-2020 and as an RCC research fellow from 2020-2024, currently maintaining an active research position there.

Dr. Ritson completed her doctorate in 2016 with a dissertation on vulnerable coasts in literature after studying German, comparative literature, and Scandinavian studies at the University of Cambridge and LMU Munich. Her research bridges Scandinavian literary traditions with environmental humanities, particularly examining how North Sea coastal landscapes serve as literary arenas for exploring environmental concerns in the Anthropocene.

Her work demonstrates significant scholarly impact through publications including her monograph The Shifting Sands of the North Sea Lowlands (Routledge, 2019), which has been praised for showing how North Sea coastal literature offers 'an incredible richness of possibilities both for understanding our pasts and for crafting shared futures.' Her recent articles explore energy cultures in Scandinavian literature, ecocritical approaches to film, and blue comparative literature.

Dr. Ritson has secured substantial research funding, including a German Research Council grant for her postdoctoral project 'Offshore: Energy Cultures of the North Sea' (2021-24). She actively contributes to academic community building as co-coordinator of the DFG-funded 'European Conservation Humanities Network' and coordinator of the Ecocritical Network in Scandinavian Studies (ENSCAN), demonstrating strong leadership in her interdisciplinary field.