Prof Thom van Dooren has been awarded the prestigious Biophilia Award in Environmental Humanities and Social Sciences by the BBVA Foundation in Spain, now in its 7th edition.

Prof van Dooren was recognised for his work on the global extinction crisis, with the selection committee highlighting two of his books: Flight Ways: Life and Loss at the Edge of Extinction (2014, Columbia University Press) on the cultural and ethical significance of extinctions and the wide-ranging ramifications observed following the disappearance of several bird species across Australia, North America, and India; and A World in a Shell: Snail Stories for a Time of Extinctions (2023, MIT Press), a collection of stories on the decline of snail species in Hawai’i, framed against the larger processes of colonialism, militarisation and globalisation.

The committee praised Prof van Dooren for his “key role in ‘shaping the interdisciplinary field of the environmental humanities,’ and ‘developing innovative ways of understanding and responding to the biodiversity crisis’” throughout his decades-long career in what he calls “field philosophy”, or analysing, out in the field, the “web of biological, ecological, historical, social, political, economic and cultural entanglements involved in every extinction process”.

SEI spoke with Prof van Dooren following the announcement of his award: “I am honoured to have received this prestigious award. I’d like to thank the generous colleagues who nominated me and wrote letters of support on my behalf.”

He also highlighted the foresight of the BBVA Foundation in creating an award focusing on environmental humanities and social sciences, fomenting multidisciplinary work in addressing the complex challenges facing us today: “I’d also like to acknowledge and offer my gratitude to the BBVA Foundation for their vision in creating this award. Too often, it is assumed that biodiversity loss and other environmental issues are principally questions for the natural sciences. In framing this award in a way that focuses on the environmental humanities and social sciences, the BBVA Foundation are helping to draw attention to the vital need for broad-ranging, multidisciplinary, approaches to pressing ecological challenges.”

Prof van Dooren is the former SEI Deputy Director – Member Engagement and a convener of the Environmental Humanities Network, which is hosting a meet-and-greet on 31 Oct 2025. See more details and register here.