Dr Janine Heim

Dr Janine B Heim is a researcher whose work focuses on how markets in collectables are organised and the networks through which they are traded. Her work sits at the intersection of criminology, social and security studies, with a particular interest in how objects acquire value, how market relationships develop, and how social and regulatory contexts shape their circulation. She previously researched the exotic pet trade, specifically venomous snakes of the genus Bitis, traded between Southern Africa and Europe.

Her current research focuses on the meteorite trade, examining how this specialised market is organised and how meteorites move through networks of collectors, dealers, intermediaries, and other market actors. By following the objects and the relationships surrounding their exchange, she explores how different forms of expertise, value, and participation shape the market. More broadly, her work considers how collectable markets operate across different contexts and how their organisation can be investigated when trade networks are fragmented, informal, or difficult to observe.

Alongside her academic work, Janine has worked in the private sector on research and market intelligence across a range of industries and international contexts. This experience informs her interdisciplinary approach to research, which draws on mixed methods, with a particular interest in qualitative research and the use of interviews and other approaches to understand actors, relationships, and practices not readily visible through quantitative data alone.