Agnese Cretella is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Researcher at the Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología (IPNA-CSIC) and Associate Professor of Sociology of Cultural and Communication Processes at Pegaso University, currently on leave. She holds a PhD in Social and Behavioural Sciences from the University of Amsterdam. Her academic career has developed across Italy, the Netherlands and Ireland, with experience at Wageningen University & Research, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Bologna and the University of Amsterdam.
Her work lies at the intersection of food governance, political ecology, consumption, sustainability and social justice. Throughout her career, she has studied urban and territorial food policies, socio-ecological transformation processes, food sharing, consumption practices, culinary heritage and sustainable fisheries. She has contributed to European and interdisciplinary projects including PUREFOOD, SHARECITY and Food Smart Dublin, combining qualitative and participatory methods with multi-actor collaboration, public engagement and knowledge exchange.
In 2026, she was awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship to develop LOCATE (Local Culinary Heritage and Tourism for Sustainability) at IPNA-CSIC. The project explores the relationships between tourism, culinary heritage and food in island contexts, using the Canary Islands as a case study. It examines how notions of “local” and “traditional” food are constructed and negotiated in tourism settings, with particular attention to ingredient provenance, seasonality, supply chains and food miles. Through ethnography, agri-food supply chain analysis and participatory approaches, LOCATE investigates tensions between authenticity, territorial production, tourism and socio-ecological transformation, with the aim of contributing to more resilient and just models.
Food governance; political ecology; urban and territorial food policies; food sustainability and justice; sociology of consumption; food tourism; culinary heritage; island food systems; local and seasonal food; fisheries and sustainable seafood consumption; qualitative, ethnographic and participatory methods.
- PhD in Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Amsterdam (2019).
- MA in Geography and Territorial Processes, University of Bologna(2010).
- BA in DAMS – Drama, Art and Music Studies, University of Bologna (2008).
- Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Researcher, Social Sciences, Heritage and Food Research Group, Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología, Spanish National Research Council (IPNA-CSIC), since 2026.
- Associate Professor of Sociology of Cultural and Communication Processes, Pegaso University, Italy, since 2026, currently on leave.
- Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Sociology of Cultural and Communication Processes, Pegaso University, Italy (2025–2026).
- Junior Assistant Professor of Sociology of Communication, University of Bologna, Italy (2022–2025).
- Research Fellow, Food Smart Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (2020–2021).
- ERC Postdoctoral Fellow, SHARECITY project, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (2019–2020).
- Marie Curie Research Fellow, PUREFOOD project, Wageningen University & Research, the Netherlands (2011–2015).
- Editorial Board Member, Food Ethics (Springer), since 2024.
- Coordinator of the “Consumption, Lifestyles and Sustainability” working group within the Italian Network of Local Food Policies, since 2024.
- Recipient of two Marine Institute – Foras na Mara awards for research communication, networking and outreach, Ireland (2020–2021).