Official Bio
Pauline Herbst is a writer, journalist and anthropologist whose work explores how our lives are entangled with the environment; the health of one affecting the other.
She has lived and worked in South Africa, the UK and New Zealand. She has a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Auckland and is an alumna of Curtis Brown Creative and Granta’s Memoir and Nature Writing courses.
She has been long listed for the Fish Memoir award, presented her scholarly work internationally and has produced and hosted podcasts for the Centre for Climate, Biodiversity and Society and The Energy Centre.
Pauline is currently working on a creative non-fiction eco-memoir about death, speculative wonder and life in a climate emergency.
As a freelance science journalist and independent researcher I write and research on a variety of topics spanning climate change, climate justice and sustainability, nature, anthropology, public health, bioethics, rare disease and the wondrous forms of life in our world.
Dr Pauline Herbst
Director | Tufferson Lab
FAQs
Welcome
Hello. My name is Pauline and I’m an anthropologist and journalist. I am currently working with the Energy Research Consortium to develop their science communications strategy. I am also a fellow on an HRC-funded Graphic Medicine project about brain tumour symptoms.
Tell me about your research projects
I’ve conducted ethnographic research in South Africa and New Zealand:
on the conservation and maintenance of Transkei coastal forests;
on rare disease and food security during times of rapid change (like the COVID pandemic,
the Christchurch earthquake and Australian wild fires);
and the cultural value of literary festivals in times of emergency and risk.
Who have you interviewed?
I was previously the editor of D-Photo magazine and as a freelance journalist interviewed politicians like Jenny Shipley, Hollywood veterans like Jon Landau, photographer Steve McCurry, and industry leaders. I have reported from Papua New Guinea, New Orleans, Chicago, Berlin and Japan on everything from Pete Buthane’s first Earthrace, to Future Eco-Homes.
What do you bring to each project?
Skills and experience in:
Ethnography
Qualitative research skills
Editing
Writing for different audiences
Creativity