Alicia Gutting

I am a PhD candidate in the ERC-project Nuclearwaters at the Division of History of Science, Technology and Environment. I hold a Diploma in Theatre, Film and Media Studies and a Master of Arts in Cultural and Social Anthropology, both from the University of Vienna. From 2010 to 2011 I did a study abroad year at La Trobe University, Melbourne and I was a visiting researcher at the English Department at Soongsil University, Seoul in 2013. Prior to KTH I worked as a junior researcher at the Institute of Technology Assessment at the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna. My research focussed on energy system transformation, sustainable energy technologies and the diffusion of e-vehicles.

In my PhD thesis „The Nuclear Rhine“ I am researching transnational nuclear risk perception in Austria, Switzerland, France and Germany from the 1960s to 2018. Water is at the centre of my research and therefore I am also considering the Aare as an important part of the Rhine river system. I am mostly interested in what kind of debates took place, which actors were involved, what kind of narratives these actors made use of and especially what kind of risks did go hand in hand with the extensive industrial planning along the rivers. In order to uncover the history, I am planning to focus on specific risks that accompany nuclear power. These risks range from thermal pollution and flooding to contamination of drinking water resources, heatwaves and droughts as well as decimation of fish populations.