Katie Gougelet

Katie Gougelet studies human and more-than-human health in regions affected by petrochemical pollution. Drawing on her previous ethnographic research in US-based fracking and coal mining sites, her dissertation research will take place in the coastal city of Tarragona, Spain, the site of a major Mediterranean petrochemical complex and transport hub. In Tarragona, she will track the ways that communities make sense of their health, wellbeing, and futures while living amid unevenly-spread environmental contaminants. She will also track the local impacts of oil and gas markets that have become increasingly volatile during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Katie employs an interdisciplinary approach in her research, drawing from medical anthropology, feminist studies, critical race and ethnic studies, and creative writing to understand the science and experiences of toxicity and exposure. She holds a BA in environmental studies from Dartmouth College and an MFA in creative nonfiction writing from the University of Arizona. In her free time she is working on a collection of essays about lobsters, green chiles, coal, and the worlds people build around extractive industries in the United States.