Where is Barbara Grabher now? And what is her best memory of Uni Graz?

This summer, we want to know what happened to the people who helped us create and shape the concept of the PostDoc Office in 2022. In 2022, the PostDoc Office was officially opened - and since then, it has been a shared effort between researchers and researcher developers to build and maintain a community that allows everyone to shine, be inspired, and exchange ideas with brilliant peers.

 

What are these researchers doing now? 

 

Today: Barbara Grabher. We remember Barbara happily, because she was one of the two researchers who helped shape the Writing Retreat, which is now an institution in its fourth year. 

 

1) Where are you today and where did you work during your time in Graz?

I am a Senior Lecturer in Event and Tourism Management at the University of Brighton. My role is split between teaching and research. I am currently the course leader for BSc International Event Management and International Tourism Management and in addition act as the Early-Career Researcher Ambassador for the University of Brighton. 

In my postdoc employment in Graz, I worked in the Institute of Geography and Regional Science and taught as well at the Institute for Cultural Anthropology and European Ethnology.

 

2) What is your advice on how to make good career decisions and be satisfied in your work life?

• Consider and balance your academic, professional and personal ambition
• Understand your own values and map them against your goals.
• (Particularly in your postdoc employment but relevant to all career stages) Thrive for research independence through your own publications, projects and collaborations. 

 

3) What's a memory of University of Graz that stands out in your mind?

My highlight at the University of Graz was the opportunity to develop and teach the module 'Thinking Events through the Anthropocene' in the MA programme of Cultural Anthropology and European Ethnology. The impact of this module was threefold:

• It laid the foundation for my later established research project 'Between Culture and Salt. Negotiating the Anthropocene in the event-based regeneration process of Salzkammergut European Capital of Culture 2024'
• The module and my delivery was recognised with the Teaching Excellence Award 2022
• In the development of the module, I was able to collaborate with scholars such as Judith Laister and Maximilian Lakitsch, who continue to inspire my work in my new employment.

 

Thank you so much for the interview, Barbara!

Interview date: April 25, 2025. Picture credit: Grabher/Privat

About the series: 

• All the interviews are here: Where are they now?  The interviews runs from July 21 to Aug 8, 2025. Questions: Johanna Stadlbauer, Research Car