Robyn Metcalffe

Robyn Metcalfe is a Lecturer and Professor of Instruction in the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. She is an author, film producer, and researcher who explores our global food system. She was the founder and director of Food+City, an innovative project that explored the future of our food system and produced a Food Startup Challenge Prize in Austin, Texas, for five years. Her books include The Humans in Our Food, Food Routes, Meat, Commerce and the City, and The New Wizard War. She writes for publications such as The Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, and Science Magazine, as well as participates in podcasts and conferences. Her latest film is The Long Coast, which premiered in 2020 at the Camden International Film Festival. Dr. Metcalfe’s past careers include publishing with Sunset Magazine and strategic planning with Arthur D. Little, Inc. She founded a working conservation farm in Maine, Kelmscott Rare Breeds Farm, where she actively conserved heritage livestock for ten years.  She received her BA in American Studies from the University of Michigan and a MA and PhD from Boston University in History, with a concentration in Modern European food history. Robyn is a runner and has completed races across six deserts. Not desserts.