Untitled Document

Kajsa-Stina Magnusson

I am a MPhil/PhD student at the Department of Science and Technology Studies at UCL. My focus lies particularly on science policy, but science communication come into it as well. More specifically, my research project concerns the governance of nanotechnology, promotion v. regulation (you will find more information about my research here).

My previous degree is a Master of Social Science (filosofie magisterexamen) from Uppsala University (Sweden), where I focused on political science. My aim with these doctoral studies is to merge STS with political science as there is not much science in political science, and vice versa - though there ought to be.

My route to graduate studies has not been particularly linear as I have made a few stops on the way working with administration, project management and as an intern at UNDP in Bratislava and at ECOSY in Brussels. However, whatever road I've chosen seem to lead straight back into university again - not that there's anything wrong with that!

What I'm doing right now

I am currently transcribing interviews
that I conducted with nanotechnology
R&D stakeholders in Finland earlier
this year - after which I'll analyse it all
and hopefully write a chapter or so on
my dissertation.

I have also spent much of this term
teaching and being a teaching assistant
for the MSc in Nanotechnology (teaching
science communication) and for HPSC
2001 Policy Issues in the Life Sciences.
I've got a nice solid pile of assignments to
mark over Christmas/in January.

Another fun thing on the agenda
is that I've just been taken on as a
project manager for ESConet Trainers.
We're organising and holding courses
for EC-funded researchers in science
communication. It'll bring me to the
department a bit more often.

Finally, I'm writing a paper that will be
presented at a workshop in Graz, Austria
in February. It's on how social captial
shapes the knowledge-based economy
and I'll use nanotechnology as an example.
Any thoughts on the topic are most
welcome.

Kajsa-Stina Magnusson

What I'm doing right now

December 2008