I am a medical anthropologist with 25 years of experience conducting research at the intersection of health and multispecies relations. My work bridges multiple domains, moving from understandings of infectious diseases in Tanzania to pioneering approaches in veterinary and multispecies anthropology, addressing critical challenges at the nexus of health and environmental change.

My research trajectory has evolved through three interconnected streams: First, extensive ethnographic work in Tanzania (2000-2011) examining how local conceptions of tradition, health, and community practices have been shaped by colonial legacies, development interventions, and global health initiatives. This long-term engagement with Tanzanian communities has produced insights into malaria, traditional medicine, and HIV/AIDS, while exploring how indigenous cosmologies have transformed through interactions with external influences.

Second, since 2014, I have been developing innovative approaches to multispecies anthropology, exemplified by my ESRC-funded "Beelines" project, which examined diverse beekeeping practices across the UK, Denmark, and USA. This research established me as a pioneer in veterinary anthropology, leading to the first disciplinary meeting on this subject in 2016, and has positioned me to contribute to emerging conversations about ecosystem health and biodiversity conservation.

Third, I am now bringing these research streams together to address pressing questions about health and environment in the Anthropocene. My current work examines the comparative frameworks of species extinction and disease eradication, contributing to broader conversations about One Health approaches to global challenges, particularly regarding vector-borne diseases and climate-related health impacts.

Throughout my career, I have maintained a strong commitment to doctoral supervision, guiding over 20 PhD students to completion. These supervisions have increasingly focused on the interconnections between health, environment, and multispecies relations, and addressing contemporary global challenges. My leadership roles within the university, including as Director of Faculty for the School of Social and Political Science (2023-2024), Director of EDI for the School of Social and Political Science (2020-2023) and Head of Social Anthropology (2016-2019), demonstrate my commitment to academic governance alongside my research.

Teaching

My teaching portfolio directly connects my research expertise with undergraduate and postgraduate education. As well as contributing to core teaching in Social and Medical Anthropology, I have designed and convenedseveral innovative courses including "Humans and Other Species," "Anthropology and Africa," and "Anthropology of Food," which engage students with contemporary challenges at the intersection of health, environment, and society. I am introducing a new course “Health, Environment and Society” in 2025-2026 which will further strengthen this connection by examining emerging health and environmental challenges through an anthropological lens. These courses provide students with theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches for understanding complex global challenges while developing critical analytical skills.

• Medical anthropology and infectious diseases
• Multispecies and veterinary anthropology
• Environmental anthropology and climate change
• One Health approaches
• Historical ethnography
• East Africa
• Traditional ecological knowledge

I am currently on sabbatical (2024-2025) and focusing on three interconnected projects:

1. A monograph, provisionally titled "The Words of the People.” This is a historical ethnography based on a decade of research in Tanzania, examining how, since the 1880s debates about tradition in Kyela District have been influenced by missionaries, colonial administrators, anthropologists, development workers, and global health.
2. Articles emerging from my work on multispecies anthropology, including methodological innovations in studying human-bee relations and exploration of the "superorganism" concept in beekeeping practices.
3. A new comparative project examining the contrasting processes of species extinction and disease eradication, with pilot fieldwork in Tanzania examining fish decline alongside lymphatic filariasis eradication efforts.