Professor Monika Buscher
ProfessorProfile
Monika Büscher is Professor of Sociology, Director of Research for the Department of Sociology, and Director of the Centre for Mobilities Research at Lancaster University. She co-edits the book series Changing Mobilities.
Monika currently leads research on decarbonising transport, disaster mobilities and ethical, legal and social issues of IT innovation in a range of different projects.
Most recent publications
Chen, L, Buscher, M & Hu, Y 2019, On Liquid Ground: Contesting facts and responsibilities on Weibo during the Shouguang Flood. in Z. Franco, J.J. González & J.H. Canós (eds), Proceedings of the 16th ISCRAM Conference . ISCRAM 2019, ISCRAM, pp. 288-297.
Büscher, M., Escalante, L.M, Alter, H., Easton, C., Kerasidou, X. (2018) isITethical? Responsible Research and Innovation for Disaster Risk Management. In Boersma, K. and Tomaszewski, B. (Eds.) Proceedings of the 17thISCRAM Conference, Rochester, NY, USA, May 2018, pp 254-267.
Rizza, C., Büscher M., and Watson, H. (Eds.) (2017) Special Issue on Working with Data: Ethical Legal and Social Considerations Surrounding the Use of Crisis Data and Information Sharing During a Crisis. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, (6 papers, 90-100 pages). Including introductory article Rizza, C., Büscher M., and Watson, H. Working with Data: Ethical Legal and Social Considerations Surrounding the Use of Crisis Data and Information Sharing During a Crisis. Journal of Contingencies & Crisis Management, 25(1):2-6.
Taylor, D.; Büscher, M.; Murray, L.; Speed, C. and Zamenopoulos, T. (2016) Rules of Thumb: An Experiment in Contextual Transposition. Proceedings of the Design Research Society Conference 2016 50th Anniversary Conference, 27-30th June 2016, Brighton.
Büscher M., Sheller, M. and Tyfield, D. (Eds.) (2016) Special Issue. Mobility Intersections: Social Research, Social Futures (12 papers, 90,000+ works). Including introductory article Büscher, M., Sheller, M., & Tyfield, D. (2016). Mobility intersections: social research, social futures. Mobilities, 11(4), 485–497.
Petersen, K., and Büscher, M. (2016). Mobile work in crisis. Applied Mobilities, 1(2), 176–192.
Collaborations with international groups
Europe
Disaster Risk Management Knowledge Centre
European Commission, Joint Research Centre, E.1 - Disaster Risk Management Unit
Public Safety Communications Europe (PSCE)
Federation of European Firefighters (FEU)
Australia
Hawke Research Institute, University of South Australia
Digital Ethnography Research Centre, RMIT University, Melbourne
The Australian National University, School of Sociology
Austria
University of Salzburg, Sociology, Graduate School ‘On the Move’
Brazil
Universidade de São Paulo, School of Sociology, School of Architecture
Denmark
Centre for Mobilities and Urban Design (CMUS), Aalborg University
Roskilde University, https://ruc.dk/en/
The Alexandra Institute, Aarhus, Denmark https://alexandra.dk/uk
France
Airbus Defense and Space https://airbusdefenceandspace.com
Germany
Paderborn University, Germany, Faculty for Engineering http://www.cik.uni-paderborn.de/en/teaching/
Technical University Dortmund, Germany, Communication Networks Institute https://www.kn.e-technik.tu-dortmund.de/cms/de/Lehrstuhl/
Siegen University, Media Studies, Science and Technology Studies, DFG-Graduate School ‘Locating Media’, http://www.locatingmedia.uni-siegen.de
Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology FIT, St Augustin, Bonn, Germany https://www.fit.fraunhofer.de/en.html
Nuertingen-Geislingen University, Sustainable Mobilities Programme, Geography https://www.hfwu.de/hochschule/anlaufstellen/fakultaeten/sustainable-mobilities-interessierte/
TÜV SÜD, one of the world's leading technical service organisations http://www.tuv-sud.com/home_com
Greece
KEMEA – think tank for the Greek Ministry of Public Order and Citizen http://www.kemea.gr/el/
Kenya
United States International University,Information Communications Technology http://www.usiu.ac.ke/governance/administrative-units/ict
Norway
Human Geography, University of Oslo http://www.sv.uio.no/iss/english/research/projects/sms/
Poland
Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Sociology http://www.socjologia.uj.edu.pl/en_GB
Krakow University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture http://arch.pk.edu.pl/en/
Romania
Transilvania University of Brasov http://www.unitbv.ro/en/Home.aspx
South Africa
University of Pretoria, Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment & Information Technology http://www.up.ac.za/faculty-of-engineering-built-environment-it
Sweden
Uppsala University, Department of Economic History http://www.ekhist.uu.se/research
University of Halmstad, School of Health and Welfare https://www.hh.se/english/academics/healthcare.65442254.html
Switzerland
CloudSigma AG (www.cloudsigma.com) - developers of cloud computing services, Zurich (SME)
Lausanne University, Geography Department, http://igd.unil.ch/dpicard/en/presentation/
IRS (Institut de recherches sociologiques) University of Geneva https://www.unige.ch/sciences-societe/socio/fr/recherche/irs/index/
USA
The international Association for the History of Transport, Traffic and Mobility http://t2m.org
Center for Mobilities Research and Policy, Drexel University http://drexel.edu/coas/academics/departments-centers/mobilities/
Colorado University, Boulder Grand Challenges Earth Lab http://www.colorado.edu/earthlab/
Zambia
University of Zambia, Geography http://naturalsciences.unza.zm/index.php/2013-02-27-09-57-51/2013-03-20-10-31-17/brief-history
Academic collaboration ‘positions’: Books, ... editorial boards
Honorary Doctorate Roskilde University, Denmark
Member of journal editorial boards:
Mobilitieshttp://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rmob20
Applied Mobilitieshttp://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rapm20
Computer Supported Cooperative Workhttp://link.springer.com/journal/10606
Frontiers: Disaster Communicationshttp://journal.frontiersin.org/journal/communication/section/disaster-communications
Conference Chair
International Crisis Response and Management Conference (ISCRAM) – 22-25 May 2015, University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway (Programme Chair) http://iscram2015.uia.no
Mobile Utopia: Pasts, Presents, Futures - 2-5 November 2017, Lancaster University, UK (Conference and Programme Chair) http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/t2mc2c/
Member of international advisory board for:
Graduate School ‘On the Move’, University of Salzburg https://www.uni-salzburg.at/index.php?id=205305
Smart Mobility Suburbsproject, Human Geography, University of Oslo, Norway http://www.sv.uio.no/iss/english/research/projects/sms/
EMERGENT EU FP7 Project Emergency Management in the Social Media Generation http://www.fp7-emergent.eu
Smart Society http://www.smart-society-project.eu/
Examples of plenary or keynotes outside of UK
‘Right now you can’t get relational’: A Mobile Utopia of Radically Reflexive Resilience - Mobile Cultures of Disaster Conference, 22 March - 24 March 2017, City West Campus, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia http://www.unisa.edu.au/Calendar/HRI-Event---Mobile-Cultures-of-Disaster-Conference/
Infrastructuring for Mobile Utopia - Living Infrastructures: Beyond Global North and Global South, Volgograd State University, Russia, April 27-28 2017.
Infrastructuring Cosmopolitan Mobile Utopia - Seventh International Conference on The Constructed Environment, 25-26 May 2017, Faculty of Architecture, Cracow University of Technology, held at the International Cultural Centre, Krakow, Poland http://constructedenvironment.com/2017-conference/#block-3
Immaterial Immobilities and the Infrastructuring of Mobile Utopia – Material Mobilities C-MUS conference 2016 November 29th-30th 2016, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
Further Information
Monika's theoretical orientation builds on phenomenology, pragmatism, ethnomethodology, workplace studies, science and technology studies, feminist theory, non-representational theory. Public sociology, participatory design, computer supported cooperative work, design studies and service design furnish epistemologies and methodologies for engagement with stakeholders.
The book series Changing Mobilities, which I edit together wih Peter Adey, invites contributions that address the empirical realities of changing mobilities and opportunities to inform design, policy and social change.
Please contact me at m.buscher@lancaster.ac.uk
Twitter @mbuscher
Selected Research projects
The SecInCoRe project identifies data sets, processes, information systems and business models used by first responders and Police authorities to inform the development of a dynamic and secure cloud based ‘common information space’. The main goals of SecInCoRe are:
- To develop a pan-European inventory of past critical events and disaster and their consequences focusing collaborative emergency operations and real-time decision making while taking ethics, law, social practices and privacy into account.
- Understand ethical, legal and social issues and the regulatory environment, and the constraints and possibilities they imply for the use of pan European cloud based information management services.
- Design of a secure, dynamic cloud based knowledge base and communication system concept including the ability to use emergency information by means of a trans-European communication infrastructure.
Bridge: Bridging resources and agencies in large-scale emergency management (2011-2015)
A collaborative design project funded by the EU Commission. We are co-designing a system to support interoperability (both technical and social) in large-scale emergency relief efforts with stakeholders. The system will be a bridge between multiple agencies: It will help to mediate the activities of the command and professional staff, which is where most of the strategic decision making must occur; it will also help to merge the systems and resources from different agencies into a cohesive whole and support collaboration with user generated 'crisis informatics'.
Citizens Transforming Society: Tools for Change (CaTalyST) (2011-2014)
This project will bring together a group of social scientists (sociology; anthropology), computer scientists (mobile computing; web2.0; distributed systems), management scientists (consumer behaviour) and designers (innovation) to develop next generation systems that empower citizens to create bottom-up innovative solutions to 'wicked' societal problems. It will promote cross-disciplinary working across Lancaster University (and beyond) between the School of Computing & Communications, Sociology, Lancaster University Management School, Lancaster Environment Centre, and Lancaster Institute for Contemporary Arts.
New Interaction Order (2010-2011)
This pilot project studies the 'new' interaction order from different empirical and analytical perspectives. Drawing on sociology, ethnomethodology, criminology, geography, and design, we are carrying out studies of 'behaviour in public places' in Manchester.
Design for Flexibility and Change within Health Service Providers (DFC)
This project explores how medical practitioners can mobilize local and expert domain knowledge and dovetail it with new design and managerial skills to implement the Practice Based Commissioning (PBC) framework to shape NHS service provision. Designing new health and care service models and facilities requires creative, managerial and/or design skills and this 18 month research project is part of the EPSRC funded innovation centred called HACIRIC (Health and Care Infrastructure Research and Innovation Centre).
Innovative media for a digital economy
In this research cluster, we investigate digital economy practices that are emerging around the capabilities of social, mobile and pervasive technologies. We explore how we can develop new services, new forms of exchange and interaction that benefit the whole of the UK economy.
PalCom, Palpable Computing: A new perspective on Ambient Computing, FP6 IST Future and Emerging Technologies, 2004-7.
As computing technologies become an ever more 'invisible' and powerful part of our mobile lives, it is crucial that people are supported in understanding what these technologies are doing and what they could do for them.
WorkSPACE, Distributed Work Support through Component Based SPAtial Computing Environments, FP5 IST Future and Emerging Technologies, 2000-3.
Mobile workers often generate dynamic configurations of spaces, information, and people - within the office, but also beyond. These practices pose great challenges to the computer as-we-know-it today and open up a range of opportunities for innovative design. Spatial computing environments respond to these challenges. They exploit technical possibilities to support the social and spatial organization of work.
Research Interests
My Guidance and Feedback Hours are Mondays 10:30-11:30 and Tuesdays 11:30-12:30. I'm also happy to consider offering bespoke meetings outside my Guidance and Feedback Hours. Please book an appointment using this link.
My research explores the digital dimension of contemporary ‘mobile lives’ with a particular focus on:
- everyday practices, especially distributed collaboration, collective intelligence, digital urbanism
- relational, affirmative ethics, IT ethics, informational mobilities and informational self-determination
- mobile, disclosive and 'inventive' methodologies
- co-production of research, policy, socio-technical innovation
My work combines social research with design and innovation. It involves close engagement with diverse collaborators from industry and diverse stakeholder organisations. It is interdisciplinary, experimental, engaged ‘public sociology’ designed to explore and shape socio-technical futures.
Current Teaching
- Disasters, why do things go wrong?
- MA Mobilities, Society and Change
- Media in a Global Age
PhD Supervisions Completed
Lixiong Chen - Between Participation and Paternalism:A Study of Weibo-based Networked Crisis Communication in China between 2010 and 2019
Cosmin Popan - Utopias of slow cycling. Imagining a bicycle system
Satya Savitzky - ‘Icy Futures’: Carving the Northern Sea Route
Paula Bialski - Becoming Intimately Mobile
Paula's Thesis has been published: Becoming Intimately Mobile. Frankfurt: Peter Lang. Paula now works at Leuphania University
Jen Southern - Comobility: Distance and Proximity on the Move in Locative Art Practice
Jen now works at Lancaster University
Lucy Kimbell - An inventive practice perspective on designing
Lucy works as a an artist, service designer and scholar. http://www.lucykimbell.com
Research Overview
Monika’s research explores the digital dimension of contemporary ‘mobile lives’. She combines qualitative, often ethnographic studies of everyday practices, social theory and design through mobile, experimental, ‘inventive’ engagement with industry and stakeholders. An analytical orientation to intersecting physical and virtual mobilities, blocked movements and immobilities of people, objects and information drives this work. Monika’s most recent research brings this perspective to the informationalization of large-scale multi-agency emergency response, which raises opportunities and challenges around social media-based public engagement, agile and ‘whole community’ approaches to disaster response, data sharing, data protection and privacy.
PhD Supervision Interests
I am interested in working with PhD candidates in the areas of sociology, media studies, mobilities research, science and technology studies and have particular research interests in: Mobilities, mobile technology, mobile media Science, technology, responsible research and innovation Digital media and online cultures Design, art, creativity Disaster, crisis, security
Selected Publications
Mobile methods
Buscher, M., Urry, J., Witchger, K. 2010 London : Routledge. 206 p. ISBN: 9780415492416.
Book
Collective intelligence in crises
Buscher, M., Liegl, M., Thomas, V. 2014 In: Social collective intelligence. Springer p. 243-265. 23 p.
Chapter (peer-reviewed)
Privacy, security, liberty: ICT in crises
Buscher, M., Liegl, M., Perng, S. 2014 In: International Journal of Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. 6, 4, p. 76-92. 17 p.
Journal article
Peripheral response: Microblogging during the 22/7/2011 Norway attacks
Perng, S., Buscher, M., Halvorsrud, R., Wood, L., Stiso, M., Ramirez, L., Al-Akkad, A. 04/2012 In: Proceedings of the 9th International ISCRAM Conference – Vancouver, Canada, April 2012.. Academic Publishers 11 p.
Chapter (peer-reviewed)
All Publications
SoRADash - Societal Readiness Assessment interactive dashboard & integrated web tools for optimising transport decarbonisation innovations
03/04/2023 → 29/09/2023
Research
GCRF: Gridding Equitable Urban Futures in Areas of Transition (GREAT) in Cali, Colombia and Havana, Cuba
01/04/2020 → 30/09/2023
Research
DecarboN8-An Integrated Network to Decarbonise transport
01/09/2019 → 31/08/2022
Research
ISF: DecarboN8 - An Integrated Network to Decarbonise Transport
01/09/2019 → 31/08/2022
Research
ISF: DecarboN8 - An Integrated Network to Decarbonise Transport
01/09/2019 → 31/08/2022
Research
H2H Project - Phase 1
18/03/2019 → 08/09/2019
Research
Configuring ethical AI in healthcare
01/01/2019 → 30/06/2021
Research
isITethical? Exchange: Responsible Research for ICT Innovation in Disaster Risk Management
02/01/2018 → 31/07/2018
Other
SODA Plus: Realizing Data Together
01/07/2017 → 31/12/2019
Research
Cyber Security of the Internet of things
28/02/2016 → 31/08/2019
Research
ISF: Mobile Utopia 1851 - 2051
01/02/2016 → 31/12/2016
Research
FP7: SecinCoRe: Secure dynamic cloud for information, communication and resource interoperability....
01/05/2014 → 30/04/2017
Research
Citizens Transforming Society: Tools for Change
01/11/2011 → 30/04/2015
Research
FP7: Bridging resources and agencies in large-scale emergency management
01/04/2011 → 30/06/2015
Research
ZIF: Centre for interdisciplinary research, Univ of Bielefeld , communicating disaster programme
01/03/2011 → 31/05/2011
Research
New Interaction Order
01/02/2011 → 31/10/2012
Other
Infrastructuring Cosmopolitan Mobile Utopia
Invited talk
the 17th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
IsITethical? Participatory Ethics in Crises
Invited talk
EASST
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Realising Data Together Workshops
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Ethics Through Design
Invited talk
European Conference on Networks and Communications
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Is-IT-ethical? Responsible Research and Innovation for Disaster Risk Management
Invited talk
Industry Collaboration
Consultancy
SODA Co-designing Data Together
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
IsITethical? Serious Play with datafication as ethical impact assessment
Invited talk
MPC Data Utopia/Dystopia: Medical data mobilities through multiparty computing
Invited talk
Is IT Ethical? Mobile Work, Mobile Data, Mobile Methods in Crises
Invited talk
ELSI Guidance for Networked Disaster Risk Management
Invited talk
Infrastructuring for Mobile Utopia
Invited talk
Mobile Work - Mobile Methods
Invited talk
‘Right now you can’t get relational’: A Mobile Utopia of Radically Reflexive Resilience
Invited talk
Public Safety Communications
Business Engagement
Information Infrastructuring in Crises
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Collective Intelligence in Crises
Invited talk
Cosmobilities
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Material Mobilities
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
1851-2051 Mobile Utopia
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Mobilizing the Urban Model
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Collective Intelligence in Crises
Invited talk
Futures of the End of Life
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Public Safety Communication Europe (PSCE) Conference
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Federation of the European Union Fire Officer Associations Meeting
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
European Security Research The Next Wave
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Mobility Intersections
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Mobile Situations | Situated Media
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
ISCRAM 2016
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Health|Disaster Mobilities Workshop
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
23rd Nordic Symposium of Tourism Research
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Ringvorlesung: You'll Never Walk Alone
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Locating Mobile Media: Making Cooperation Work
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
SecInCore Kick-Off
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
ISCRAM 2014
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Mobilities & Design
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Making Data | Mobilizing Data
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Code in the City
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
The Organisation of Emergency: Between emergency plan, violation of rules and security facades
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
ISCRAM 2013
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Mobilizing Emergency/Disaster Response Workshop
Types of Business and Community - Hosting of external, non-academic visitor
VideoConference
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Materialities, Visualities, Securities
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Centre for Mobilities Research Day
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
FutureEverything
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Mobilizing Communications and Networked Reinvention: Persons, Cities, Social Worlds
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
9th International Conference on Crisis Response and Management
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
New Interaction Orders, New Mobile Publics?
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
URBAN MOBILITIES: SETTING LONG-TERM FOUNDATIONS FOR TRANSNATIONAL RESEARCH
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Honorary Doctorate
Honorary degree
- CeMoRe - Centre for Mobilities Research
- Centre for Alternatives to Social and Economic Inequalities
- Centre for Science Studies
- Evaluation
- Imagination Lancaster
- Institute for Social Futures Fellow
- Mobilities.Lab
- Security Lancaster
- Security Lancaster (Law,Policy,Ethics)
- Security Lancaster (Sociology)