dr. S (Sanneke) Kloppenburg

Sanneke is a sociologist interested in emerging digital technologies and their implications for the governance of sustainable production and consumption practices. Thematically, her work focuses on sustainability transitions in energy, mobility, and food.

Sanneke’s current research evolves around two themes:

• Digital infrastructures for energy, mobility and food provisioning

This line of work examines how digital infrastructures transform how we organise and govern systems of production and consumption, and the sustainability implications this has. Sanneke is particularly interested in processes of platformisation and the use of blockchain in energy, food, and mobility. She explores how such digital infrastructures bring along redistributions of responsibilities, new valuations, and inclusions and exclusions.

• Digitalisation in everyday practices

Combining social practices theory with digital sociology and science and technology studies, Sanneke also focuses on the use of digital tools and devices in everyday (urban) practices. Here, she looks at technological mediations and the datafication of everyday practices of mobility, energy, and food consumption and production. Her work explores how digital technologies (co)shape sustainable behaviour and forms of environmental citizenship.

Sanneke holds a PhD from the University of Amsterdam (2013). She has previously worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the NWO-funded project 'Emerging energy practices in the smart grid' at Wageningen University (2015-2018) and conducted research on the social, ethical and legal aspects of biometric border control at Maastricht University UNU-MERIT (2014-2015). At WUR, Sanneke is involved in the organisation of the  DigiMetis network that fosters reflection on societal implications of digitalization and digital innovation in the areas of agrifood and nutrition, natural resources, biobased economy and circular economy