Biography / CV
Download my CV [PDF 205kB]
I grew up on a council estate in the West End of Newcastle Upon Tyne, home of the Geordie dialect. I obtained a Master of Engineering degree at Oxford University, with sponsorship from 3M. After graduating, I spent some time in Spain, developing appropriate technology at Sunseed Desert Technology, and then worked with several nonprofits in Manchester, UK.
In 1994, I moved to the USA after securing an internship at The Meta Network, one of the United States' earliest virtual communities, which was founded by Frank Burns. My role involved developing virtual conferencing interfaces and facilitating discussion forums at the dawn of the WWW, when organizations were trying to develop non-hierarchical and flexible structures to meet the needs of the knowledge economy. As part of this process, I witnessed some of the negative consequences of "No Collar" work and developed my critical interest in technology and the labour process.
The internship led to a job at Hampshire College in Massachusetts where I worked with faculty to incorporate new media into their pedagogy. While there, I was involved with MassBike, a bicycling advocacy organization and, with my husband John, co-produced the Bonkworld Lecture Series and the ongoing Bonkworld website.
After moving to New York City in 2001, I began to work toward a PhD at the City University of New York Graduate Center exploring the potential of workblogging to create social change. I completed my PhD in 2008, shortly after the birth of my first child. Between 2001-2010 I worked in various roles at the City University of New York based at LaGuardia Community College. Via the LaGuardia Center for Teaching and Learning and the Writing inthe Disciplines program, I coordinated award-winning professional development seminars, being fortunate to work with innovative and highly experienced interdisciplinary faculty in developing inquiry-based, writing-intensive and multimedia-enhanced courses. At LaGuardia I became an Assistant Professor of Sociology, and was privileged to teach students from very diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds, many of whom were first or second generation immigrants to New York City. Many LaGuardia students overcome socio-economic challenges in order to pursue their studies, and my classroom was enriched by students who had raised a family or who worked in demanding jobs while pursuing their degrees. During my time at CUNY I was also actively involved with the faculty and staff union PSC-CUNY, becoming a delegate to NYC's Central Labour Council.
In 2010 I returned to Newcastle Upon Tyne and, shortly after the birth of my second child, joined The York Management School at the University of York. As part of the Organizational Behaviour, Theory and Technology group, I further developed my teaching and supervisory skills, developing modules in qualitative methods and change management as well as supervising masters students. I also extended my research, in a photographic collaboration with Julian May, to explore why busy people need allotments, and winning an award for public engagement. I also continued, in my role as joint departmental UCU representative, to be an active union member.
Following a career break to look after my youngest child, I have recently held several part-time teaching positions at Northumbria and Newcastle Universities, teaching sociology, sustainable cities and research methods. I am also engaged in research projects that focus critically on work-life boundaries, creativity and the urban environment, with an emphasis on ethnographic and visual/interactive methodology. My CV [205kB] is available here in PDF format. If you have any difficulty viewing it, please do not hesitate to contact me. A full list of academic and professional references, writing samples, teaching materials, and evaluations are also available upon request.
Abigail Schoneboom
abigailschoneboom@gmail.com