Kelly Donati

Dr Kelly Donati is a human geographer whose work examines how our food systems enable - and, conversely, undermine - human and ecological health, with a particular focus on small-scale farming and urban agriculture. She is interested in how people, communities and social movements are rethinking what it means to eat and live well as an ethical response to the unravelling of our social and ecological worlds. Her current research is focused on how public and community food infrastructure - such as urban farms, municipal markets and community kitchens - can foster practices of social and ecological care at the local level. Her research brings the field of gastronomy into dialogue with the environmental humanities, human geography, multispecies studies and science and technology studies. This interdisciplinary approach helps her think about the interconnected nature of regeneration, health, equity and deliciousness across scales—from the intricate microbiomes of soils, healthy guts or craft beer to the global food systems that shape planetary integrity and human health.

In recent years, through her role as founding chairperson of Sustain: The Australian Food Network, she has worked with communities and government on applied research and policy development that support the transition to more regenerative, participatory and equitable food systems. She joined RMIT University in late 2024 as a Vice-Chancellor's Research Fellow in the School of Health and Biomedical Sciences.