PhD Student

After investigating as a trained designer and project coordinator for some years, I joined the social sciences with a Bachelor's in Culture and Media Education. Enthusiastic about the discipline, I finished my Master's in Social and Cultural Anthropology at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. My Ph.D. journey as part of the research group in Medical Anthropology includes objectives like Bioanthropology, Science and Technology Studies, Multi-Sensory and Multi-Species Ethnography.

For my Ph.D. I aim to crystallize Mobile Biologies by conducting an anthropological study on One Health and the multi-species pandemic of Avian Influenza in Western Pomerania. In highlighting the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health, my research investigates how avian influenza dynamics and mobility affect the livelihood strategies of small-scale farmers and how biological and social factors shape the perceptions of multi-species pandemics and resilience to contagious threats.

Additionally, participating in the ongoing research project »Mobility Regimes of Pandemic Preparedness and Response: The Case of COVID-19«, I am involved in engaging the atmospheres of a pandemic addressed as »Viral Atmospheres«. As atmospheres operate on affective dimensions, evolving from multi-sensory experiences and aesthetic characteristics, my research is also intrigued with processes and interactions based on sensing and sense-making.

Research interests: Bioanthropology, Science and Technology Studies, Multi-Sensory and Multi-Species Ethnography.

E-Mail: erik.zillmann@bnitm.de