Nikolaos Olma

Nikolaos Olma is a Research Fellow at the Leibniz Centre for Modern Oriental Studies (ZMO) in Berlin since 2020, with concurrent lecturing appointments at Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (2019-present) and Free University of Berlin (2021). His career includes research affiliations at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology and academic training across four countries.

Educational Background

• PhD in Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen (2018)
• Research Master in Social Sciences, University of Amsterdam (2012)
• MA in International Conflict Studies, King's College London (2009)
• BA in Mediterranean Studies, University of the Aegean (2008)

His research focuses on environmental (un)knowledge in post-Soviet contexts, particularly examining uranium mining legacies in Kyrgyzstan and urban transformation in Uzbekistan. Fieldwork sites include Mailuu-Suu (Kyrgyzstan) and Tashkent.

Research Themes

• Post-Soviet environmental remediation
• Urban mobility and informal economies
• Memoryscape analysis in contaminated spaces
• Normalization of health risks
• Material culture of industrial ruins
• Toponymic politics and wayfinding

Scientific Contributions

• 2022 Irene Hilgers Memorial Prize winner
• Published in Geoforum, Central Asian Survey, and City & Society
• Developed conceptual framework for 'environmental (un)knowledge' in post-industrial contexts

Academic Engagement

• Organized workshops on urban research methods
• Co-organized panels on Central Asian minorities and urban politics
• Teaches courses on economic anthropology and post-Soviet urbanism