Olga Povoroznyuk

Olga Povoroznyuk is a Lecturer and PostDoc Researcher at the University of Vienna's Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Vienna and focuses on infrastructure development, postsocialist transformations, climate change, and indigenous communities in the Circumpolar North and Russia. Her research explores the interplay between infrastructure, identity, and environmental challenges in post-Soviet regions like Siberia.

Current roles include coordinating the ERC-funded InfraNorth project and leading studies on Arctic transport infrastructures. She is affiliated with the Austrian Polar Research Institute and the International Arctic Science Committee. Povoroznyuk teaches social anthropology and actively participates in global conferences, emphasizing sustainable development and community-based research.

Her research spans transformative infrastructure projects, such as the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM), analyzing their social, environmental, and cultural impacts. Key themes include indigenous rights, climate resilience, and the legacy of socialist-era projects. She has led projects like CoRe (Configurations of Remoteness) and contributed to initiatives like Nunataryuk, addressing permafrost thaw and coastal adaptation.

Povoroznyuk’s work bridges anthropology, geography, and policy, with publications in Arctic Science, Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning, and Social Anthropology. Her studies highlight the socio-ecological dimensions of infrastructure, emphasizing community perspectives in Arctic and Siberian contexts.