8: Physical and Virtual Research Spaces

Featuring the stories of early career researchers Alfred, Amy, Harry, Jane, Lucy, Mark, Steve and Ole

In this chapter, I use stories to examine experiences of working and researching in different physical places and virtual spaces. Appreciating that all experiences occur in a concrete and specific location (Connelly & Clandinin, 2006) is fundamental to exploring this tension. Fig. 8.1 reminds us that the tension operates within a broader and interrelated system of tensions.

Since the early 2000s, we have become increasingly familiar with working in physical and virtual environments, increasingly simultaneously. Physical places are the work areas where we are personally present. They include offices, laboratories, hotels, airports, houses and apartments. Offices and laboratories enable us to engage with colleagues and key stakeholders in face-to-face collaborative activities such as spontaneous catch-ups and innovative planning sessions.