Michaela Thompson is an environmental historian, sustainability scientist, and STS scholar. Her work is strongly interdisciplinary, focusing on the complex dynamics of social-environmental systems, particularly human interactions with marine spaces. Her research has examined such diverse subjects as fisheries management in Alaska, Canadian shellfish aquaculture, and shark attack mitigation in the U.S. and South Africa. Her forthcoming book, Shadows in the Water: Sharks and People in the 20th Century and Beyond (UNC Press), explores the relationship between sharks and humans from the midcentury to today.  

Michaela holds a B.A. in History from Carleton College, an M.A. in History from Northeastern University, and a Ph.D from MIT's History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology, and Society program (HASTS).