Nicole Welk-Joerger (she/her) is an interdisciplinary researcher with training in art history, anthropology, and the history of science, technology, and medicine. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania and postdoctoral appointments with North Carolina State University and Princeton University’s High Meadows Environmental Institute. In her work, Nicole has a passion for bridging disciplines and communities to tackle difficult conversations, including efforts to define and maintain conditions of “health” and “sustainability” in the context of the climate crisis. She has worked with scientists, agribusinesses, and Amish farmers in her most recent research on animal food production, and her publications aim to highlight surprising connections and shared desires that exist across groups in the pursuit for more equitable environmental futures. Her current book project Rumen Nation: A Story of Sustainability in the United States, speaks particularly to the place of the cattle industry in these debates as they center on concerns about human, animal, and environmental health. In addition to her academic expertise, Nicole also brings administrative experiences from her years working with the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Rose Art Museum to C21.
welkjoer@uwm.edu | Personal Website