Kerry Holden

Kerry Holden is a Senior Lecturer in Human Geography at Queen Mary University of London's School of Geography, specializing in transnational knowledge cultures and the political economies of science and technology. Her work critically examines how scientific knowledge travels, gains political viability, and is administered across global contexts, with strong ties to anthropology and political science.

She earned her PhD in Human Geography from King’s College London followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Concordia University, where she studied computer science communities in East Africa. Her educational trajectory underscores her interdisciplinary approach to science studies.

Holden's research centers on three interconnected strands: the politics of global knowledge (analyzing evidence regimes in African political institutions like the Ugandan Parliament); moral and political economies of science (investigating institutional scaffolding for universalized knowledge practices); and digital infrastructuring in Africa (examining how technological communities address local challenges). Her work consistently highlights professionalism, institutional structures, and trust within scientific ecosystems.

Her publications from 2008-2018 reveal persistent themes: the tension between global standardization and local adaptation in science governance, the role of moral economies in sustaining research communities, and Africa's position within transnational knowledge networks. Articles span global health networks, internet governance, scientific memory, and biomedicine policy, demonstrating methodological diversity across geography, anthropology, and political science.

No scientific awards were documented in the provided materials.

Holden actively supervises PhD students in global knowledge practices, moral economies of science, and knowledge infrastructuring. She secured ESRC funding for her Ugandan Parliament project examining evidence-informed policymaking, and collaborates with organizations including the UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) and INASP on capacity-building initiatives. Her advisory work extends to training development, peer review systems, and knowledge management frameworks.

She maintains active partnerships with the Ugandan Parliament Department of Research Services, Uganda National Academy of Sciences, and African NGOs like AFIDEP and CEPA. Though previously associated with the LOST research network (now archived as of 2024), her current collaborations focus on strengthening evidence use in African political institutions through intellectual exchange networks and technical assistance programs.