Dr. Katherine Dentzman earned her B.A. as a double major in Environmental Science and Sociology at Central Michigan University and both her M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology with a specialization in Ecological Food and Farming Systems at Michigan State University.  

After graduation she held multiple USDA-funded postdoctoral research associate positions at both Washington State University and University of Idaho, followed by a position with the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture as a Social Science Program Specialist.  

Dr. Dentzman specializes in transdisciplinary agri-food research at the intersection of environmental and social sustainability. Using mixed methods designs and a grounding in critical theory, she has contributed a unique sociological perspective to nearly a dozen separate research teams.  

She is broadly interested in 'unbelonging' and community in agri-food systems, particularly focusing on the implications for conjoint dimensions of sustainability.  Her work has advanced an understanding of the human dimensions of herbicide resistance issues in agriculture, for which she has numerous publications, invited presentations, grant funding, and committee positions. She has also applied theories of good farming, place attachment, and intersectionality to study the pathways and barriers to success in agriculture faced by women and LGBTQ+ farmers.