Luisa Cortesi

Luisa Cortesi is Assistant Professor of Water, Disasters, and Environmental Justice at the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands. She is also a Marie S. Curie Junior Fellow at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, Germany, and Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environment at Cornell University, USA.

Her research centers on environmental anthropology, with a focus on water disasters, climate change, environmental justice, and sustainable development. She investigates how environmental knowledge and technologies shape human-environment relations, particularly in vulnerable regions. Her work bridges anthropology, political ecology, and science and technology studies, emphasizing justice and equity in environmental governance.

The recent publications highlight a strong thematic focus on hydrological systems, land-water interactions, ethnographic methods, and the cultural and political dimensions of water management. Her research spans South Asia, particularly India, and integrates multidisciplinary approaches to address climate adaptation and sustainability challenges.

Scientific Awards:

• 2019 Field Prize for poetic and literary scholarship
• Josephine de Karman Fellowship (2017–2018)
• 2017 Eric Wolf Prize by the Political Ecology Society
• 2017–2018 PRAXIS Applied Anthropology Award
• 2016 Curl Prize by the Royal Anthropological Institute

Dr. Cortesi has received research support from major institutions including the Wenner Gren Foundation, Social Sciences Research Council, Fulbright-IIE Fellowship, Atkinson Centre for Sustainability, and the United Nations. She advises on sustainability and environmental justice through collaborative research and engaged anthropology. Her work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals such as climate action, clean water, and reduced inequalities.

She is actively involved in interdisciplinary research networks and collaborative projects across Europe and North America, particularly through her affiliations with ISS, Freiburg, and Cornell.