Marcus Eli Johansen is a Doctoral Research Fellow at the Department for Community Medicine & Global Health whose work focuses on the social and material history of single-use plastics in healthcare and the (re)production of medical waste. His doctoral project, part of the Wellcome-funded collaboration ‘After the Single Use,’ examines how PVC-based intravenous fluid bags became institutionalized as a medical necessity in Norwegian healthcare in the second half of the 20th century. Drawing on medical history, science and technology studies, discard studies, and medical anthropology, his research explores how industrial, clinical, and regulatory forces shape(d) health infrastructures and the normalization of disposability.
Marcus’ research interests also include political ecology, urban geography, environmental justice, and health inequities. In 2025 he obtained his MPhil degree in Development, Environment and Cultural Change at the University of Oslo. His MPhil thesis, “Pluralizing Toxic Exposure,” was a case study of uneven development and industrial pollution in Minneapolis, USA.
Academic interests
- Medical History
- Science and Technology Studies (STS)
- Discard Studies
- Medical Anthropology
- Anthropology of Toxicity
- Political Ecology
- Urban Geography
- Environmental Justice
Background
Master of Philosophy in Development, Environment and Cultural Change, Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo, 2025
Bachelor's in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Department of Philosophy, Classics, History of Art and Ideas, University of Oslo, 2023
Awards & Stipends
- The University of Oslo's Sustainability Award, 2026
- Arne Næss Stipend, Arne Næss Programme on Global Justice and the Environment, University of Oslo, 2024