Courtney Addison

I am an Anthropologist and Science and Technology Studies (STS) scholar. I am an editor of Science, Technology, & Human Values.

My work sits between Anthropology and Science and Technology Studies (STS) and uses ethnographic and other qualitative methods. I am interested broadly in the social fabric of science and medicine: how people realise their social commitments, become imbricated in power relations, and create meaning through scientific practice.

Topically, my research has examined the place of genetics and genomics in society, how people convey and interpret health information, and more recently, the use of toxins in conservation. My current Marsden Fast Start focuses on the multispecies politics of 1080 toxin use in Aotearoa, investigating how scientific research shapes toxins use, how different people arrive at different perspectives on 1080, and the wider multispecies relations at stake in conservation.

I completed my PhD at the University of Copenhagen, where, as part of the interdisciplinary Consortium for Designer Organisms, I carried out ethnographic research on the social and ethical dimensions of gene therapy. Prior to this I received degrees in Anthropology (Masters, BA (Hons), BA) and Writing Studies (BA) from the University of Auckland.