From New Zealand to Liege: meeting with Fabien Medvecky

Fabien Medvecky is a visiting professor at Spiral and will be in our faculty until the end of the year. We met him in the corridors of B31, a few days after his arrival.

Originally from Haute Savoie, Fabien Medvecky grew up in French-speaking Switzerland. French is therefore his mother tongue, even if he readily switches to English when he talks about his research. "I did all my studies in English-speaking countries and I left Switzerland at the age of 14," he explains.

An eclectic background and interests

Her mixed academic background (from history to communication sciences, economics and philosophy) is reflected in the eclecticism of her research: "At the moment, I am working on a project about the way economics is communicated in the public space. More broadly, I am working on social epistemology, I am interested in the relationship between knowledge and fields of knowledge, power and society. What knowledge is made public? Who has access to what knowledge?

In parallel, Fabien Medvecky is also working on other projects such as this book, around responsible research and innovation on which Michiel Van Oudheusden, Spiral's scientific collaborator and assistant lecturer in Political Science, is also working.

The interdisciplinary nature of Cité seems particularly suited to his scientific curiosity: "My interests are very broad: technologies, society, politics, ethics... I really appreciate this variety in my work."

From New Zealand to Liege

Fabien Medvecky is based in Dunedin, in the south of New Zealand: "If you go any lower, you'll find yourself in Antarctica" he jokes.

What made him decide to cross the planet to come to Liege? "I share a number of common interests with the Spiral. One day, when I was talking to Michiel Van Oudheusden about the idea of doing a research trip abroad, he asked me, 'Why not here? I took him at his word.

This is not the first time that Fabien Medvecky has been in Liège, as he was a guest lecturer at the STS master's program last year. "I am delighted to have the opportunity to spend more time with the Spiral team, which is particularly dynamic and close-knit. I'm also very interested in culture and history, and I'm a good fork in the road: Liege has a lot to offer in that respect," he concludes.

Learn more about Fabien Medvecky, his career and his publications.