Kia Ditlevsen’s research centers on social inequality and its expression in food consumption, lifestyle and health behavior. 

Research areas:

• Social inequality and its expression in consumption, lifestyle and health.
• Everyday life and food practices.
• Eating and diet-related health among underprivileged groups in society.
• Contemporary food- and consumption culture.
• Gendered norms.
• Qualitative methods.

Current research projects: 

- Food as distinction and practice. Food, eating and sustainability among different social classes (2023-2025). Funded by Independent Research Fund Denmark.

- Eating up the crisis. Cultural change seen through the lens of food (CrisisCultureFood) (2024-2027). Funded by the Carlsberg Foundation, Semper Ardens: Accelerate.

- Fremtidens økologiske forbruger og muligheder for økologisk markedsudvikling (ØKO-KOST) (2024-2027) (substudy). Funded by ICROFS.

- ’Proper’ food under economic constraints: Gendered food practices and dietary health among socioeconomically disadvantaged. Funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark (2019-2022). 

Course coordinator and lecturer in the Master level course The Sociology of Food and Eating (IFRO, KU), and the PhD course Qualitative research methods.

2022-  Lektor, Sektion for Forbrug, Bioetik og Regulering, Institut for Fødevare- og Ressourceøkonomi, KU

2017-2022  Adjunkt, Sektion for Forbrug, Bioetik og Regulering, Institut for Fødevare- og Ressourceøkonomi, KU

2015-2017  Post doc, Sektion for Forbrug, Bioetik og Regulering, Institut for Fødevare- og Ressourceøkonomi, KU

2012 - 2015  ph.d. studerende, Sektion for Forbrug, Bioetik og Regulering, Institut for Fødevare- og Ressourceøkonomi, KU

2011-12 Ekstern Lektor, Sociologisk Institut, KU

2011-12 Fuldmægtig, Danmarks Statistik, Arbejdskraftundersøgelsen

RESEARCH PROJECTS:

2024-2027     Eating up the crisis. Cultural change seen through the lens of food (CrisisCultureFood). Funded by the Carlsberg Foundation, Semper Ardens: Accelerate. Grant owner, PI, and research group leader.

2023-2025     Food as distinction and practice. Food, eating and sustainability among different social classes. Funded by Independent Research Fund Denmark. Grant owner and PI.

2024              Fremtidens økologiske forbruger og muligheder for økologisk markedsudvikling (ØKO-KOST), funded by ICROFS, project management of sub-study (focus groups).

2022              Sustainable organic food systems – consumers’ perceptions and trade-offs between sustainability dimensions. Interdisciplinary research project, financed by ICROFS. WP-leader.

2019-2022     ’Proper’ food under economic constraints: Gendered food practices and dietary health among socioeconomically disadvantaged. Funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark. Responsible for data-collection, analysis and dissemination.

2018              MycoSynVac. Interdisciplinary, international research project. Funded by EU Horizon 2020. Qualitative analysis of Europen citizens’ opinions on biotechnology used in food production.

2016-2018     OrgHealth. Financed by ICROFS. Responsible for focus group interviews, analysis and dissemination of qualitative results.

2016-2018     LOCO. Financed by ICROFS. Responsible for focus group interviews, analysis and dissemination of qualitative results.

2012-2015    SULIM. PhD project, part of a collaborative, multidisciplinary research project on migrants' health in Denmark, funded by the Danish Council for Strategic Research.

Inequality, poverty, gender, health and regulation, health policy, interactions, food sociology, sociology of health and illness, food consumption, sustainability