My name is Ragnhild Dahl Wikstrøm, and I’m a PhD research fellow in Human Geography at the University of Oslo. As part of my PhD I was based at CeMoRe and Lancaster University for almost six months. In 2018, I had the pleasure of meeting the director of CeMoRe, Monika Büscher, when she took part in a seminar with my research group at the University of Oslo. This was the first time I heard extensively about CeMoRe and the research being done there, thereby realising it overlaps a lot with my own research interests.
My PhD is on the everyday decarbonisation of mobility systems in suburban centres, and my research interests include daily mobility practices, sustainable mobility interventions and transformations, and mobile methods. Spending several months at CeMoRe gave me a lot of inspiration and time to think about and discuss my thesis and related topics with Monika, colleagues, and students at Lancaster University. CeMoRe is a focal point for international scholars interested in mobilities research and, during my stay, I had the opportunity to meet with other visitors and associates from different parts of the world, displaying multiple perspectives on mobilities research. During the visit, I also had access to the Mobilities Lab with all its equipment and, together with fellow PhD student Nikki Pugh, we made a touch-reactive sound installation displaying parts of my research on mobile objects that influence the practice of e-biking.
The city of Lancaster has a great location: as well as the opportunity for intellectual exchanges and collaborations, the city has great cafés, pubs, independent theatres, and concert venues. Other cities such as Manchester and Leeds are close by, making it possible to meet with academics from other institutions too. Lancaster is also a good starting point for exploring the countryside of the Lake District.
The stay ended rather abruptly in mid-March 2020, as I had to travel back to Norway due to COVID-19. Nevertheless, I am happy I got the chance to stay at CeMoRe for an extended period. I found the stay truly inspiring as it gave me a unique opportunity to meet and converse with eminent scholars, to develop my research ideas further, and to develop my professional networks. In particular, the many rewarding conversations on climate emergency and mobility transformations were an intellectual highlight.
The feature image was taken by Ragnhild in the Lake District
