Cycling Cultures Research Project

Kat Jungnickel

Kat joined UEL as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in March 2010. She completed a Sociology PhD at Goldsmiths College that examined the culture and everyday making practices of 'backyard technologists' operating on the fringes of large-scale centres of innovation. She ethnographically studied the largest community WiFi networking group and a (freak)bike making club in Australia. Although their technologies differed, members of both groups shared a hands-on engagement with diverse assemblies of materials and improvised methods in ordinary suburban locations. Her PhD blog is here.

Kat's research interests lie at the intersection of DIY technology cultures, grassroots community practices and messy methods. Her interest in mobility and sociality began with a research project about the London No.73 Routemaster bus.

k.e.jungnickel[at]uel[dot]ac[dot]uk

Rachel Aldred

Rachel is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology. She joined UEL in 2007 after an ESRC funded postdoctoral fellowship at the London School of Economics. Recently published articles include a Social and Cultural Geography piece on Cycling Citizenship, a Community Development Journal paper on the World Cafe as a research methodology, and a Local Environment article on the disability and environmental movements. She is currently co-editing a special issue of Critical Social Policy on environmental issues. She wants to connect critical social theory with policy and practice, particularly within the area of sustainable mobilities.

Rachel's teaching includes Mobile Societies, Delivering Welfare in the 21st Century and Sociology Dissertation. She also supervises PhD students.
r.e.aldred[at]uel[dot]ac[dot]uk or
rachel[at] cyclingcultures[dot]org[dot]uk

The Principal Investigator is Dr. Rachel Aldred and the Research Fellow is Dr. Kat Jungnickel. We are working with interested groups from local policy-makers to cycling campaigners and public health professionals.