Bio

Jens O Zinn is Associate Professor in Sociology at the University of Melbourne. He has worked in a number of research centres and networks such as Status Passages and Risks in the Life Course in Bremen (1995-1999), Reflexive Modernization in Munich (1999-02) and Social Contexts and Responses to Risk at the University of Kent (2003-08) before he joined the University of Melbourne in 2009.

His research is related to work and occupation, social inequality, the life course/biography, organization/administration, governance/planning and social change. His work focusses on a number of concepts such as risk, uncertainty and ignorance, emotions, knowledge, power and time. He is particularly interested in exploring new research strategies.

He is teaching a wide range of subjects among these are Living in a Risk Society, Understanding the Life Course, Contemporary Social Problems and Critical Analytical Skills.

He is passionate about teaching and is currently running a MOOC on Risk.

He published a number of books and peer-reviewed articles such as Risk in Social Science (with P. Taylor-Gooby 2006), Oxford University Press and Theories of Risk and Uncertainty (2008), Blackwell. One of his most quoted articles is Heading into the Unknown. Everyday Strategies for Managing Risk and Uncertainty in Health, Risk & Society 10(5), 439-450.