Photo: Marit Christiansen
Employee portrait of the month
Alban Davesne holds a doctorate in political science from Sciences Po, Paris. For almost two years he has been working at OsloMet as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellow the Faculty of Social Sciences (SAM). He lives in Kringsjå but travels often to Stockholm where the rest of his family is based.
What do you do in your free time?
I commute a lot! Aside from this, I like discovering new places in Norway and Sweden on weekends. I would like to go back to Lofoten where I have travelled once when I was a child. It fascinated me. On Wednesday evenings, I play innebandy (floorball) with colleagues. It is a lot of fun and it is actually quite competitive.
How did you get to work today?
I cycle down from Kringsjå. A painless 15 minutes commute down the hill with scenic views of the fjord on good days. The way back is more punishing, and I must admit I usually take the bike with me on the subway.
What are you working on currently?
I have a deadline to submit a paper manuscript by the end of the month. It deals with the way Nordic countries have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Another paper about border cooperation is in the works. I will also be giving a guest lecture on International Health Policy next week.
Have you learned something new lately?
We have a diverse group of researchers at the faculty. As a political scientist, I find it particularly challenging and interesting to discuss with for instance sociologists and anthropologists. I have also learned a lot about social work, which is one of OsloMet strongest specializations.
Name one thing that could make your workdays even better:
Am I allowed to complain a little bit about the food or it is too much of a cliché (I am French, after all)? Other than that, working conditions are fantastic here compared to many universities elsewhere in Europe which have suffered a lot in the past decades.
Is there anything from your field of research that has surprised you recently?
I am currently carrying out a field study on access to health care in border regions. Cross-border care is still a minor component of health care systems in Europe, which are still strongly nation-based, but I was actually surprised to see how important access to care across the borders could be for local communities, for instance across the border to Østfold.
How can OsloMet become more sustainable from a global perspective?
In terms of research, social sustainability is now our core focus. Hopefully it will lead to building knowledge and networks that will help our societies to move in the right direction.
What motivates you at work?
The MSCA fellowships allow you to be focused on your own research project, which is such a luxury. But I am also happy to get out of the office and have the opportunity to give some guest lectures and meet our great students here at OsloMet.
OsloMet has an excellent track record of attracting early career researchers and international post-docs through European grants such as mine, with the support of dedicated and savvy staff. I am very grateful for the opportunity it represented to me.
What do you do to bring joy to others at work?
I like to bring odd decoration items in my office to get people talking. The giant cow picture on my wall has received mixed reviews, but the second-hand swirling lounge chair has been praised by everybody who sat in it!
Best academic literature you’ve read in the past year?
"Nordic cooperation" edited by Johan Strang. It has been an overlooked subject for a while and still is somewhat taken for granted by Nordics themselves. But at the same time, with COVID-19, war in Europe and the rise of nationalist populism, we are now being reminded that what has been taken for granted, freedom of movement, peace, cooperation, may very well be taken away from us if you do not pay attention.
Your recommendation (book, series, movie, or music):
I am trying to read Elin Anna Labba’s book “Herrarna satte oss hit” in Swedish. It is an important account on the forced removal of Sámi people, and a difficult read on all levels. On a very different note, I always tell my Norwegian friends that the best French TV series is “Le Bureau”. Please come to my office for more French cultural recommendations. I have a nice swirling chair.
