Anna-Zoë D. Herr

Anna-Zoë Herr is a doctoral candidate in anthropology and her dissertation examines how scientists navigate hope in the face of ecological collapse. Her research accompanies polar explorers in Tasmania/Lutruwita and Germany to understand how mental states and emotions such as hope and responsibility shape scientific work, communication and imagination in environments that are inaccessible to the public but highly relevant to society. Through interviews and ethnographic fieldwork, she explores how hope is not just a feeling, but an emerging practice that is performative, situated, and ecological. Through her research, she is developing a new framework for understanding hope in knowledge production and communication.

Zoë holds a Bachelor's degree in Global Perspectives and Art from Principia College in Illinois, USA, and a Master's degree in Global Studies from Humboldt University in Berlin. Her Master's thesis, which deals with narratives of hope in climate change literature, has been published. Prior to her PhD, Zoë worked for several years in the fields of public engagement, science communication and facilitation.