Will LaFleur

Will LaFleur is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Helsinki, affiliated with the Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS) and the Ruralia Institute in Mikkeli. He serves as Supervisor for the Doctoral Programme in Interdisciplinary Environmental Sciences and holds an ORCID ID (0000-0002-4427-7744).

His academic qualifications include:

• PhD in Global Development Studies from the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki (awarded March 4, 2025)
• MA in Education and Globalisation (Education for Sustainability: A Sensory Ethnography in Biodynamic Agriculture) from the University of Oulu
• BA in Anthropology (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Arizona

LaFleur's research centers on sensory ethnography and post-extractivist alternatives, examining how embodied practices in regenerative agriculture foster socio-ecological justice. His work integrates political ecology, degrowth theory, and more-than-human relations to explore prefigurative politics in food systems, emphasizing fermentation, biodiversity, and DIY cultural practices as pathways toward sustainable futures.

His 2022-2025 publications reveal a cohesive trajectory analyzing extractivism through multisensory methodologies, with increasing focus on regenerative agriculture's role in biodiversity conservation. These works span anthropology, geography, and food studies, consistently applying sensory frameworks to critique capitalist resource extraction while envisioning alternatives rooted in care ethics and ecological reciprocity.

His scientific recognition includes:

• Kone Foundation Research Grant (awarded December 2, 2021)

LaFleur directs the Academy of Finland-funded project Regenerative Agriculture and the Value of Care: Towards a Socio-Ecologically Just Circular Economy (2022-2025) and participates in the BIOSENSE project (2025-2029). As a doctoral supervisor, he mentors emerging scholars in environmental sciences while contributing to academic discourse through peer review for Political Geography and public engagement via Slow Food Helsinki.

He collaborates with the Global Extractivisms and Alternatives Initiative and maintains active involvement in knowledge translation through podcasts like EXALT and My Dear Kitchen In Helsinki, bridging academic research with community-based sustainability practices.