Dr. Lys Alcayna Stevens

Biography

Lys Alcayna-Stevens is an Associate Professor at the University of Oxford, specializing in Medical Anthropology. After completing her PhD in Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge, she worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institut Pasteur in Paris and the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology at KU Leuven in Belgium. With a diverse academic background, Lys has engaged in projects at various renowned institutions, including the New School for Social Research in New York and Harvard University. Her research primarily explores the intersections of medical anthropology, political ecology, and multispecies ethnography, with a focus on Central Africa. Lys has investigated the socio-economic impacts of Ebola epidemics and environmental justice in resource-rich areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Additionally, she examines issues of reproductive justice through feminist and postcolonial perspectives. In the 2024-25 academic year, she will serve as Course Director for the Medical Anthropology Master’s programmes, guiding the next generation of anthropologists in critical discussions surrounding health, disease, and environmental politics.

Research Interests

Experience