Background and experience
Peder Anker’s teaching and research interests lie in the history of science, ecology, environmentalism, and design, as well as environmental philosophy. He is the author of Imperial Ecology: Environmental Order in the British Empire, 1895-1945 (Harvard University Press, 2001), which investigates how the promising new science of ecology flourished in the British Empire. He co-authored Global Design: Elsewhere Envisioned (Prestel, 2014) together with Louise Harpman and Mitchell Joachim. He is also the author of From Bauhaus to Eco-House: A History of Ecological Design (Louisiana State University Press 2010), which explores the intersection of architecture and ecological science. He has written two books about environmental debates in his country of birth, Norway. The Power of the Periphery: How Norway Became and Environmental Pioneer for the World (Cambridge University Press, 2020) investigates the history of ecological sciences and philosophies in Norway, while Livet er best ute: Friluftslivets historie og filosofi (Kagge Forlag, 2022) celebrates the simple joy of being outside. His latest book, For the Love of Bombs: The Trail of Nuclear Suffering (Anthem Press, 2025), is a people’s history approach to the legacies of nuclear weapon-making.
Peder Anker received his PhD from Harvard University in 1999. He is a Professor of History of Science at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University, and Professor of Architectural History at The Oslo School of Architecture and Design.