STS Methods Lab: Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Studies

STS Metodelab – tverrfaglige studier av vitenskap, teknologi og kultur STS-Metodelab ved TIK-senteret engasjerer seg i metodologiske spørsmål med utgangspunkt i det tverrfaglige forskningsfeltet teknologi- og vitenskapsstudier (på engelsk kalt science and technology studies, STS). STS-feltet utforsker samspillet mellom vitenskap, teknologi og samfunn både historisk og i dag. I metodelaben inviterer vi til tverrfaglige diskusjoner og drøftinger om de metoder og verktøy vi bruker i vår forskning, men også hvordan vi beskriver og kombinerer ulike metoder, og med hvilke formål og utfall. Metodelaben er også opptatt av å drøfte og videreutvikle hvordan vi underviser i og formidler samfunnsvitenskapelig og humanistisk metode til studenter på master og PhD nivå. STS-Metodelab vil konsolidere forskningen på vitenskap, teknologi og kultur ved TIK-senteret. Prosjektet vil bidra til tverrfaglig metodeutvikling gjennom å organisere seminarer med inviterte gjester, forsterke våre internasjonale forskningsnettverk, gjennomføre PhD-kurs og arrangere den nordiske STS-konferansen i 2023.

The STS research group at the TIK Centre, UiO is renowned as a key STS community in Scandinavia, and has during recent years expanded and consolidated its research activities with new international hirings, an ERC starting grant, multiple interdisciplinary research collaborations, and four FRIPRO grants (including three Young Research Talents) in 2019. The network grant “STS Methods Lab” will enable the group to build on these earlier achievements, consolidate TIK as strong and renowned hub in STS internationally, with a particular engagement with interdisciplinary methodologies. It will expand international networks, enhance the group's methods capacities, and enable a PhD course series on core research topics, including current and past environmental issues and interdisciplinary engagements with humanities, medicine and the life sciences. The project “STS Methods Lab” aims to strengthen the STS research environment at TIK by (1) by hosting methods seminars with short-term visiting scholars, (2) strengthen methods competencies by means of establishing and conducting a series of PhD courses on STS methodologies and (3) organizing and hosting the Nordic STS conference (200-300 participants). By facilitating international exchanges with leading and emerging scholars, the STS group will both support the younger researchers in building their networks and introduce key international scholars to the Norwegian STS community. By organizing a cutting-edge PhD course series, the STS group will strong PhD candidates from Norway and abroad, and provide its younger researchers with an arena for PhD level teaching. By hosting the Nordic STS conference, the main forum for the STS community in the Nordic countries, TIK's STS research group will consolidate its position as key Nordic STS environment, and enable the PhD and master student environment to participate in organizing and contributing to a key academic event.