Visiting Scholar at the University of Bologna Italy

Sharing Space

Research time….

My office at UNIBO

In the upcoming months I will be dedicating myself fully to new research projects with colleagues in Europe and writing a manuscript for a book that will be published with Palgrave Macmillan in 2021. As a visiting scholar, I am hosted by colleagues in the Department of History and Cultures at the University of Bologna in Italy (UNIBO). Along with being in the presence of a rad group of Geo-scholars, one of the perks of being hosted at this department is to enjoy the splendor of the 17th-century building in which my office is located. Also,  the active student community (over 80,000 students at UNIBO!) provide an inspiring environment for me to read and write academic papers, to analyse new data, and collaborate and work on other aspects of research. Aside from doing research, I will be promoting the Department of Geography and Planning (at Macquarie University in Sydney) here in Europa as part of my role as International Engagement Director.

The Geography Department at via Guerrazzi, Bologna

In the upcoming months I will be working on several projects including:

  • A manuscript for a book that will be published by Palgrave Macmillan, hopefully early next year. The book will be about the impact of Airbnb on hospitality, home and life.
  • A project on Airbnb-hosts in Aarhus (Denmark) together with Simon Lind Fischer at Dania Academy in Aarhus.
  • A new research project that I am carrying out explores the social conditions under which Airbnb housework takes place. One of the main aspects I am currently looking into is how workers balance social reproductive functions with their work for the Airbnb platform and other jobs.
  • A project on the pedagogical and ethical implications of using VR to teach geographies of difficult heritage using the Auschwitz Birkenau State Museum as a case study. I am working on this project with Macquarie University colleague Dr. Richard Carter-White and Prof. Claudio Minca from the University of Bologna.

Provided COVID-19 will eventually allow lecture rooms to be open again to the public, I will be delivering a couple of guest lectures in various degree programmes. Special thanks go out to Professor Elisa Magnani for inviting me to stay at the department. I look forward to my time here!