Sarah Hackfort

Dr. Sarah Hackfort serves as Research Group Co-Leader at the Department of Agricultural Economics, Division of Agricultural and Food Policy at Humboldt University of Berlin. Her work focuses on the political economy of food and agriculture, political ecology, and the social dimensions of the bioeconomy and digitalization. Previously, she held positions as Head of Research for Sustainability and Transformation at IZT – Institute for Future Studies and Technology Assessment in Berlin (2015-2019) and as Lecturer at Free University Berlin for the Master Future Studies program (2015-2024).

Education

• PhD in Economics and Social Sciences from Kassel University (2014)
• Master of Political Science from Kassel University and Rutgers State University, New Jersey, USA (2002-2008)

Research Interests

Dr. Hackfort's research spans the political economy of food and agriculture, political ecology, and the social dimensions of the bioeconomy and digitalization. She employs feminist theory, critical geography, and political ecology to examine how biophysical processes intersect with social relations in production, reproduction, and politics. Her work particularly focuses on gender relations, care economies, and power dynamics in agricultural transformations and sustainability transitions.

Research Trends

Dr. Hackfort's recent publications reveal a consistent focus on the political economy of agricultural transformations, with particular attention to digitalization, bioeconomy, and gender relations. Her work critically examines corporate strategies in digital agriculture, the socio-ecological implications of data assetization, and the gendered dimensions of precision agriculture. She frequently employs feminist political ecology frameworks to analyze power relations, sustainability transitions, and the political economy of food systems, with increasing attention to the bioeconomy and climate change adaptation.

Scientific Awards

No specific scientific awards are mentioned in the provided information.

Advising and Grants

Dr. Hackfort co-leads the BioMaterialities research group, which includes six doctoral and post-doctoral researchers. She has secured significant research funding, including a five-year BMBF project on BioMaterialities (2019-2023) and the Inclusive Food System Transformations project funded by the Berlin University Alliance (2021-2023). Her research often involves interdisciplinary collaboration across institutions in Germany, Canada, and internationally.

Research Groups

Dr. Hackfort co-leads the BioMaterialities research group at Humboldt University, which examines the materialities of living nature and their economic valuation in the high-tech bioeconomy. The group employs frameworks from political economy, political ecology, economics of care, feminist theory, and critical geography to analyze how biophysical processes intersect with social relations. Her work often involves interdisciplinary collaboration with researchers across Germany and internationally.