In Denmark, Willerslev is a popular media personality, engaging in TV and radio shows, public panel debates, and interviews relating to his academic interests and his opinions on society and education at large.

Willerslev's main field of research has been hunting and spiritual knowledge of the indigenous peoples of Siberia, amongst whom he lived, first with his twin, and later alone for three years.

In 2006 he returned to Denmark to assume a position as director of the Ethnographic Collections at Moesgård Museum[2][3] and was also appointed an associate professor at the University of Aarhus, In 2010, he was given a full professorship.

Inspired by personal experiences, in particular from his stay in Siberia, he believes that animism and spirituality is an overlooked and wrongfully frowned upon concept in academia.

[8][9][10] The author of several scientific articles, chapters in books and newspaper articles, including contributions on vision and visiology, animism, phenomenology and other anthropological topics, he has also brought out books: Hunting and Trapping in Siberia, which appeared in 2000 (Arctic Information); Soul Hunters: Hunting, Animism and Personhood among the Siberian Yukaghirs, published in 2007 (University of California Press), and On the Run in Siberia, published in 2012 (University of Minnesota Press).