Christine Bichsel

Christine Bichsel is Professor of Human Geography at the University of Fribourg's Department of Geosciences. Her research explores power relations in environmental governance, with focus on water politics, infrastructure development, and environmental history in Central Asia.

Research examines Soviet water infrastructure projects, glacier science history, and contemporary environmental conflicts. Her work combines political geography with environmental history to analyze how power shapes landscapes and resource management.

Current projects investigate Russian/Soviet glaciology in Central Asia and Chinese science fiction’s geopolitical dimensions. Funded research includes 'Timescapes of ice' and 'Cultural logistics of Chinese science fiction'.

Teaching covers political geography, environmental history, and research methodologies. She has held visiting positions at National University of Singapore, University of Melbourne, and Cambridge.

Key publications analyze irrigation disputes, hydropolitics, and infrastructure as tools of political rule in post-Soviet spaces. Fieldwork focuses on Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.