Anja Rossmanith
Hi, I’m Anja. I joined the Seascape Ecology lab in 2024 as an MPhil student in Nature, Society and Environmental Governance.
I’m a human geographer by training with a strong interest in better understanding relationships between nature and society and how they’re shaping the actions undertaken in tackling climate change. Thus, I’m trying to challenge my background in the social sciences through interdisciplinary work with marine ecologists and engagement with local communities and stakeholders relevant to my research.
For my MPhil dissertation project, I’m interested in examining the potential of seaweed as a solution to climate change, food security, and ocean restoration. My ethnographic-inspired research is investigating the resurgence of seaweed in the UK and explores what the establishment of industrial seaweed farms would mean for local communities and marine ecosystems in Cornwall. Situating my regional case study in the global discourse, I aim to critically unpack current dynamics and debates around seaweed harvesting and farming to reveal the benefits as well as contradictions that accompany its embedment into the blue economy and promises of sustainable futures in the UK and beyond. Through the place-based and explorative nature of my methodology, I hope to dive deeper into the histories and presents of coastal communities and ecologies in Cornwall to draw a more comprehensive picture of the multiple human-seaweed relations in the region.
Outside of my studies, I enjoy spending time outdoors hiking, cycling, swimming, or going on multi-day backpacking and bike-packing trips.