Mar 19, 2024: Social Scientist with a Focus on GIS, Cartography, and Mixed Methods (Pre-/Post-Doctoral)

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The InfraNorth project, funded by the European Research Council, is seeking a social scientist with expertise in GIS, cartography, and mixed methods for a pre-doctoral or post-doctoral position (20 hours per week, starting as soon as possible, limited until March 31, 2025), based in the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Vienna.

The project explores how residents of the Arctic engage with transport infrastructures and their intended and unintended local consequences. The focus of our research is the role of transport infrastructures in sustaining northern communities. Our approach combines ethnographic fieldwork with mapping, future scenario workshops, and archival research. Quantitative population data and a survey about the role of transport infrastructures are used to upscale our research from local communities to regional and pan-Arctic levels. In doing so, InfraNorth contributes locally informed results to critical conversations about Arctic futures.

The ideal candidate for this position should have a Master’s degree or PhD in geography, spatial planning, or related discipline. The candidate must have a particular interest and experience in GIS and digital cartography skills, as well as in statistical analysis and quantitative research (including the conception, execution, and analysis of questionnaires). Additionally, the candidate should have experience working in multidisciplinary teams and an excellent command of written and spoken English (C1). Having web design skills (CMS) and a good command of written and spoken German (B1) would be an advantage.

The extended deadline for applications is March 19, 2024. The application form and further details can be found here.

Announcement of the InfraNorth Workshop “Ethnography Beyond the Case Study: Possibilities and Limitations of Comparison”

Sep 10, 2024: InfraNorth Workshop “Ethnography Beyond the Case Study: Possibilities and Limitations of Comparison”

Date and time: September 10, 2024, from 09:30 to 18:00 CEST. Venue: Nordregio. Holmamiralens Väg 10, Skeppsholmen, 111 49 Stockholm, Sweden (See: Map). Register here for in-person attendance. Register here for online participation. The ERC Advanced Grant project InfraNorth, in collaboration with Nordregio, will host the workshop “Ethnography Beyond the Case Study: Possibilities and Limitations […]

July 2024: Chapter by Peter Schweitzer in “A Fractured North – Journeys on Hold”

The publishing house of Kulturstiftung Sibirien, SEC Publications, has just released the book “A Fractured North – Journeys on Hold,” a collection of texts edited by Erich Kasten, Igor Krupnik, and Gail Fondahl. The book, available in both print and digital versions, features a chapter written by Peter Schweitzer, titled “Openings and Closures: The Anthropology […]

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Jul 23, 2024: InfraNorth at EASA 2024 Conference in Barcelona

InfraNorth team members will participate in the 18th EASA Biennial Conference in Barcelona. With the theme “Doing and Undoing with Anthropology,” the event will take place at the University of Barcelona (July 23 – 26, 2024). On Tuesday, July 23, Katrin Schmid will present her paper “Devolution of Desires, or How Food and Transportation Determine […]

Amazon hub in Iqaluit, Nunavut. Photo by Katrin Schmid (2023).

Jun 20, 2024: Polar Journal Features Research by Katrin Schmid

Polar Journal, an online information platform on polar affairs, recently published an article titled “Nunavut communities in petition to regain access to vital Amazon deliveries.” The piece, written by Ole Ellekrog, features insights from Katrin Schmid’s research in Nunavut, as well as her recent blog post “Amazon in the Arctic.” Drawing on conversations that the […]

Olga Povoroznyuk receives the sowi:doc 2023 Award by the Vienna Doctoral School of Social Sciences. © Barbara Mair / Vienna Doctoral School of Social Sciences

Jun 13, 2024: Talk by Olga Povoroznyuk at the sowi:doc Awards Ceremony

“We build a railroad and the railroad builds us.” This idea gave title to Olga Povoroznyuk’s talk at the sowi:doc 2023 Awards ceremony of the Vienna Doctoral School of Social Sciences (ViDSS). Dr. Povoroznyuk, one of this year’s award winners, talked about her dissertation “Soviet infrastructure in the post-Soviet era? Building a railroad and identity […]