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  4. Ellinor Isgren

Ellinor Isgren

Senior Lecturer

School of Global Studies
Telephone
+46 31-786 47 42
Mail
ellinor.isgren@gu.se
Visiting address
Konstepidemins väg 2
41314 Göteborg
Postal address
Box 700
40530 Göteborg

About Ellinor Isgren

I work as Senior Lecturer in Human Ecology at the School of Global Studies, where I teach and supervise students primarily in human ecology and global studies. Since 2024, I have held the title of Docent in Sustainability Science.

I hold a PhD in Sustainability Science from Lund University and have a background in environmental science and agricultural science. My main research interests lie at the intersection of agriculture, development, and sustainability—particularly in smallholder farming contexts—as well as processes of social and political mobilisation in rural areas. My research to date has primarily focused on sub-Saharan Africa, but I am also interested in how sustainable food systems and rural development can be supported in Sweden and Europe. For example, I am currently involved in the project Just Transitions in Agri-Food Systems: Acceptance and Resistance to Actions for Sustainable Transformations in Rural Areas, which focuses on just transitions in food systems in the Global North. In addition to this, I also try to contribute to broader debates around research and education for sustainable development.

Since 2024, together with Thomas Daum, I serve as program director for the Bachelor’s Program in Sustainable Development, Social Change and Climate Transition (HUSK), and for the department’s courses in human ecology and global development studies. As a teacher, I enjoy guiding students through the complex issues surrounding sustainable development, particularly to better understand the societal drivers of environmental problems so that these problems can be addressed more effectively. My teaching includes courses and modules on global environmental problems, human ecology as a perspective, rural development and sustainable agriculture, and social movements. I supervise students at bachelor’s and master’s levels in subjects including Human Ecology and Global Studies.

I previously worked at the Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS), where I led the Formas-funded research project “Mobilizing Farmer Organisations for Sustainable Agricultural Development in Sub-Saharan Africa” and participated in a Horizon 2020 project exploring how “push-pull” technology can be scaled up to contribute to sustainable agriculture in East Africa. As a postdoctoral researcher, I worked with Elina Andersson on the project Pest Management and Environmental Justice in a Changing Climate – the Case of Uganda examining the drivers and consequences of smallholders' increasing chemical use.