As an anthropologist of science and technology, he studies the governance of disasters, waste and misinformation, with a primary focus on nuclear topics and a regional expertise on Japan.
Dr. Polleri has a forthcoming book about the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, which happened in Japan. The manuscript, which will be published by New York University Press, explores how different groups clash and collaborate to govern something as controversial as radiation risks and post-disaster recovery.
Dr. Polleri has also critically studied the search for an informed and willing host regarding the disposal of Canada’s high-level radioactive waste in a deep geological repository potentially situated in the province of Ontario. Similarly, he is interested in studying how specific concepts of time and space influence the governance of spent nuclear fuel in Japan, as well as its burial for millennia.
Other areas of interests include an anthropological approach to misinformation and disinformation studies. An edited volume on this topic is currently under advance contract with Routledge.
Dr. Polleri is a Network Affiliate at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University, where he was previously a MacArthur Nuclear Security pre- and post-doctoral fellow. He is a also a member of MITATE Lab, an international research program on Fukushima issues.
