Rachel A. Ankeny

Rachel A. Ankeny is an interdisciplinary teacher and scholar whose areas of expertise cross multiple fields: history/philosophy of biological and biomedical sciences, bioethics and science policy, public understanding of science including citizen science, and food and agricultural ethics. She currently is Chair of Philosophy at Wageningen University, Affiliate Professor of History and Philosophy at the University of Adelaide, and Honorary Visiting Professor in the College of Social Science and International Studies (Philosophy) at the University of Exeter (UK).

She has given recent invited talks at major institutions including Leiden University, University of Oslo, and University of Sydney; conference presentations on five continents; and numerous presentations for governmental entities and industry fora. Her research is considered highly interdisciplinary, scholarly, and generally accessible, evidenced by the fact that her talks are typically attended not only by academics but also members of the general public. She is well-recognised as a scholar who can translate academic findings in ways that are relevant for students and the broader community.

Rachel has a BA in Liberal Arts (Philosophy/Maths, St John's College, Santa Fe, NM), and MA degrees in Philosophy and in Bioethics, and a PhD in the History and Philosophy of Science (all from the University of Pittsburgh, PA). In 2006 she graduated with the degree of Master of Arts in Gastronomy (University of Adelaide). She was director and lecturer/senior lecturer in the Unit for History and Philosophy of Science in the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney from 2000 to 2006, and at the University of Adelaide from 2006 to 2023 where she served as Deputy Dean Research for the Faculty of Arts for 11 years, oversaw the Food Studies graduate program, and co-founded the Food Values Research Group and the Public Engagement in Science and Technology Adelaide (PESTA) research cluster, among other roles.