Vita
2020 – today
Working Group Lead and Professor of Marine Governance at HIFMB, AWI and University of Oldenburg (Faculty I and V)
2016 – 2020
Reader in Maritime Geography at the University of Liverpool, UK (Lecturer from 2016-2018, promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2018 and Reader in 2019)
2012-2016
Lecturer in Human Geography at Aberystwyth University, UK
2011-2012
Teaching Fellow in Human Geography at the University of Sheffield, UK
2007-2011
Teaching Assistant in Human Geography at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
2010
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Human Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
2010
Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Teaching (PGCTHE), Royal Holloway, University of London, UK, awarded with Distinction
2007
Master of Arts (MA) in Cultural Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK, awarded with Merit
2006
Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Geography and Planning, Cardiff University UK, awarded with first class honours
Research Interests
1) At the heart of my research is a seemingly simple, yet complex, question: why do we govern the oceans as we do? Relatedly I ask: who is the ‘we’ who is doing such governing, what results, and how do the oceans themselves present challenges for governance? These questions have endured since my PhD, when I examined the difficulty of governing offshore radio pirates.
I am trained as a human geographer, interested in the relationship between people, place (the ocean), and its control. My research has always been inspired by humanities approaches (i.e. archives) as well as social science approaches (i.e. interviews, ethnography and textual analysis). In unravelling the logics of governance my work has several foci, from the deep sea, to shipping lanes, aquaria, to marine protected areas.
I am fortunate to explore these interests with brilliant members of the team. For example, with Paula Satizábal, I examine the role of history and its ripples for present day governance. With Amelia Hine, I research the politics of access to the deep ocean floor. With Geraint Whittaker, I consider how the ocean might reach wide publics, building ocean stewardship. These are just a few examples. I also work with a network of incisive thinkers from beyond the HIFMB (see projects below).
2) Aside from managing, supervising, and collaborating on research projects, I also take seriously the project of thinking about how we work as marine social scientists in a natural science dominated domain. I have recently written a manifesto on social science perspectives on marine biodiversity research with Prof. Alice Vadrot (University of Vienna). I have also developed work on how to write interdisciplinary scholarship across borders in the journal ICES with Dr Andrea Franke. I am also a passionate teacher. My most recent textbook was released in 2025 – Political Geography in Practice: Theories, Approaches, Methodologies.
Projects
Ocean Territory and Borders: The oceans are often called the freest of spaces but they have always been, and continue to be, bordered as a mechanism for controlling human activity. I consider territory and borders in a wide range of projects, from shipping management, to governance via marine protected areas (MPAs). A recent book, Ocean Governance (Beyond) Borders (2025, Palgrave) considers bordering processes at sea in their many articulations. This was edited together with border scholar Prof. Jennifer Turner (University of Trier).
Indoor Oceans: Aquariums have, since the 19th century, offered a window to ocean worlds for public audiences unable to otherwise experience life below the surface of the sea. In the project Indoor Oceans, together with Dr Rachael Squire (University of London), we consider the curation and operation of aquariums and their role in communicating information about the plights currently facing seas, oceans and the lifeworlds connected to them. We have recently published from this project, in the top flight journal Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, considering how aquariums make ocean worlds, and may well be the oceans of the future…
Theorising Water Worlds: For 10 years I been writing with Professor Philip Steinberg (Durham University) on how the ocean can unlock ways of thinking spatially, beyond geography’s usual parameters of understanding. This work has manifested in a series of papers that think with and about the oceans in hopefully provoking ways (which we, ourselves, continue to critique). Here we have developed both a wet ontology, and more than wet ontology. This work has been cited over 1100 times, and it is amazing to see how scholars have worked with, developed and also challenged the ideas!
Governing the Invisible: I will be starting a new project in 2026, connected to the Ocean Floor Excellence Cluster, combining contemporary geographies of ocean governance, with microscale maritime histories (with Prof. Dagmar Freist) and geochemistry (with Prof. Thorsten Dittmar), both UOL. Watch this space!
Highlighted Publications
On ocean territories and borders:
Peters, K. & Turner, J. (2025). Ocean Governance (Beyond) Borders. Palgrave: Basingstoke (OPEN ACCESS) https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-71322-4
On Indoor Oceans
Peters, K. & Squire, R. (2025). Routes to blue stewardship? Mobilising aquarium a/effects towards ocean citizenship and planetary change. Mobilities, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450101.2025.2585014
On Theorising Water Worlds
Peters, K. (2024). Geography H20: Compounding Water Studies. North West Geography 24(1) 14-26. https://www.mangeogsoc.org.uk/pdfs/peters_24_1.pdf