My work forms three interlocking research streams that have evolved over more than a decade. The most prominent ones are as followed:
Stream 1: Environmental Justice & Conflict Analysis (2011–2018)
Foundation projects establishing core theoretical and methodological frameworks:
- “…and justice for all?” (2016–2018, OeAW Post-DocTrack) — (Post-)doctoral research synthesizing environmental justice incommensurabilities framework applied to soy agribusiness in Northwest Argentina, drawing on Ludwik Fleck’s epistemology
- “The Risk of Inclusion” (2013–2017, ÖAW DOC) — Doctoral research introducing jazz methodology, visceral methods, and ethnographic fieldwork to reveal why environmental conflicts don’t emerge even when conditions are present
- “Risks and Chances of Global Change in NW-Argentina” (2011–2013, BMWF WTZ) — Early regional fieldwork establishing adaptation strategies and socio-economic dynamics framework
Methodological innovation: These projects pioneer the integration of more-than-rational approaches (visceral, sensory, emotional dimensions) into social-ecological research and establish incommensurabilities as an analytical lens.
Stream 2: Values-Based Transitions in Food & Agriculture (2015–2026)
Applied transformation research testing how alternative systems can scale and reshape governance:
- “Exploring values-based modes of production and consumption” (2021–2026, FWF Zukunftskolleg) — Current flagship project comparing Community Supported Agriculture and solidarity food systems across Austria, Argentina, Czech Republic, Switzerland; addressing political-economic restructuring of value chains
- “AlpFoodway” (2017–2020, INTERREG Alpine Space) — Regional heritage valorization connecting Alpine food traditions to sustainable development and transnational identity
- “Transitions towards sustainable regional development” (2015–2016, BMWF WTZ) — Comparative transition study examining peripherality, climate adaptation, and sustainability pathways in Valles Calchaquíes (Argentina) and Großes Walsertal (Austria)
Strategic linkage: These projects test whether Q‑methodology and incommensurabilities frameworks from Stream 1 can inform policy on alternative food regimes and regional resilience.
Stream 3: Energy, Highland & Multi-scalar Sustainability (2017–2026)
Emerging transdisciplinary collaborations scaling social-ecological transformation across regions and sectors:
- GeoEN-Inntal (2022–2026, ÖAW Earth System Sciences) — Current energy transition project integrating geological, geophysical, and socioeconomic dimensions of geothermal development; co-designing Geothermal Energy Council for stakeholder governance
- Highlands.3 (2020–2025, Horizon 2020 H2020-EU) — Large multinational consortium (>41 institutions) developing decision-support platforms for inclusive sustainable highland development globally; building capacity on data, modeling, and multi-actor learning
- ODYSSEA (2016–2020, Horizon 2020 MSCA-RISE) — Brazil-Europe network linking 35 bilateral research projects on environment-society interactions in the Amazon; supporting public policy on social, health, environmental dimensions
- “Potentials of socio-ecological transformations in peri-urban Yogyakarta” (2017–2018, ASEA-UNINET) — Indonesia fieldwork examining how global standards reshape local livelihoods and how communities adapt resource valuation strategies
Integration approach: Scaling Q‑methodology and participatory methods into decision-support platforms; extending incommensurabilities lens to global North-South sustainability dialogues.
Core Interconnections
| Dimension | Through-line |
|---|---|
| Theoretical | Ludwik Fleck’s thought styles → environmental justice incommensurabilities → values-based transitions → multi-actor highland governance |
| Methodological | Ethnographic fieldwork + Q-methodology + visceral methods → co-innovation workshops → participatory decision-support platforms |
| Geographic | NW Argentina (long-term) ↔ Austrian Alps (new focus) ↔ Indonesia, Brazil, global highlands (expanding) |
| Temporal | From pre-conflict analysis (2011–2018) → scaling alternatives (2015–2026) → multi-scalar transitions (2017–) |
| Impact | Academic framework-building → policy-facing tools & platforms → transdisciplinary capacity building |
Why Projects Matter Together
Each project generates theoretical, methodological, or empirical insights that feed forward:
- Environmental justice work revealed that universal EJ frameworks miss local thought styles → Q‑methodology adopted
- Q + visceral methods proved effective for capturing non-conflictive realities → scaled into food systems and energy research
- Values-based food initiatives tested whether alternatives can reshape political economy → informing highland sustainable development strategies
- GeoEN-Inntal & Highlands.3 apply learning from Argentina/Austria to co-produce decision-support tools for stakeholder governance
- All projects feed into Habilitation meta-theory on thought styles, incommensurabilities, and context-based knowledge production
Strategically, the projects move from diagnosing why conflicts do not arise (environmental justice work), to enabling values‑based alternatives (food systems), to building platforms for multi‑actor navigation in energy and highland development – all grounded in more‑than‑rational, participatory epistemologies.