Three Countries, One Visit: How Travels and My Supervisor’s Visit Shaped the Next Phase of My PhD

Article and photos by: Tea Ritoša

In May, I relocated from Aalborg, Denmark, to Modena, Italy, for my PhD secondment collaborating with the NGO Anziani e non solo. Shortly after settling in, I began an intense period of travel: over the past few weeks, I visited three countries and three very different learning environments. From exploring social robotics in Genua to developing my qualitative research skills in Lugano and taking part in the ERASMUS+ funded Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) in Dubrovnik, each experience offered a different opportunity to learn, exchange ideas, and further develop my doctoral research.

1. Genua: Exploring Social Robotics

My first stop was the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) in Genua. Following an initiative by my industrial supervisor, Licia Boccaletti, I had the opportunity to work with Francesco Rea and learn more about social robotics. The purpose of my visit was to learn how a social robot could be used within my research, but it also allowed me to think more concretely about how a robot might shape interaction between participants, how it could support engagement, and what its role might mean for participation in a care-related setting.

2. Lugano: Developing Qualitative Interview Analysis Skills

From 17 to 22 August, I continued to Lugano for the Summer School in Social Sciences Methods at the Università della Svizzera italiana. I attended Qualitative Analysis of Interview Data, taught by Jolanta Drzewiecka. As I am approaching the interview stage of my own research, the course was a useful opportunity to develop my analytical skills and think more concretely about how I will work with and interpret qualitative interview material. The summer school also included a plenary session on publishing in the age of generative AI, where I shared my experiences and reflections on academic publishing and the questions that AI raises for me.

3. Dubrovnik: Workshops, Presentations, and Exchange on Technology and Care

At the end of August, I went to Croatia for the BIP programme International Community of Social Workers for Resilience in Dubrovnik, taking place from 31 August to 5 September. This time, I was not only participating in the programme but also contributing as a workshop facilitator and presenter. In my workshop Between Tech and Tenderness, I invited participants to discuss how technology can shape care relationships and how participation may change when care becomes technology-mediated. Having the opportunity to discuss these questions with participants from different backgrounds was particularly useful for my own thinking about the project. I also presented, together with Valentina Kozjak Đura, on Listening to Minority Women: Lived Experience as a Basis for More Inclusive Support Systems. Even though the presentation focused on a different research topic than my current project, it connected with some of the broader questions that also inform my PhD, particularly the importance of lived experience in research and developing more inclusive and responsive support.

4. Modena: Wrapping Up with My Supervisor and Preparing for Fieldwork

To round off this intense period, my academic supervisor, Ninna Meier, visited me in Modena from 20 to 23 September, literally during the last three days of summer. Despite the short timeframe, we worked intensively on my research, with particular focus on preparing for the upcoming data collection phase and practical arrangements for the fieldwork, including a visit to CADIAI, an organization based in Bologna that will participate in my research as one of the partner organizations. As a special highlight, we also gave a brief interview for the podcast Terminal, produced at TERMINAL – Terre d’Argine Innovation Lab, a local space dedicated to digital culture, innovation, and community engagement.

Beyond the research meetings, Licia and I also had the pleasure of showing Ninna around Modena and the surrounding area. We explored the historic city centre, visited a traditional vinegar cellar to learn about balsamic vinegar production, and, of course, enjoyed some authentic Italian food and gelato, which was a welcome break from the intensive work sessions.

Conclusion: From Learning to Action

With August being a quieter period in Italy due to the summer holiday period, I was able to make good use of this time to travel, learn, and develop ideas for the next stage of my research. Although the aforementioned activities were different, they complemented each other in useful ways, allowing me to step back from the day-to-day work of on my PhD and consider it from different perspectives. These experiences also reflected an important aspect of being part of the COCOSO project: the opportunity to move between research and practice, encounter different forms of knowledge, and explore connections across disciplines and methods alongside my own doctoral research. The period was also valuable for networking. I met researchers, students, academics, and practitioners from different countries, and many useful exchanges took place informally, through conversations before and after sessions. The weeks were intense and involved considerable travelling, but these encounters made the experience more enjoyable and less tiring.

The visit of my supervisor provided a fitting conclusion and an opportunity to bring together the insights from Genua, Lugano, and Dubrovnik and translate them into concrete considerations for my doctoral research. As I now move closer to data collection, these experiences have helped me clarify the next steps of the project and think more openly about how research, practice, technology, and different forms of knowledge can inform one another.