My PhD thesis titled “Remote villages as heterotopias and places of utopics: analogue case studies in Sweden and Israel in preparation for future Mars settlement” is now available to the public. Download the thesis from James Cook University’s Thesis repository >> here <<
Dr Magdalena Pfaffl, PhD
Dr Magdalena Pfaffl holds a PhD for her research about the innovative potential of remote villages. Her research is pioneering the use of human
geography approaches for permanent Mars settlement. She understands remote villages, both on and off-Earth, as having a potential to be self-imposed heterotopias and highly dynamic places of innovation spreading lateral development towards the central mainstream. During her research, Dr Pfaffl conducted case studies in Australia, Israel and Sweden.
In 2020 Magdalena started Ares Habitats in order to apply her research and have an impact. With Ares she works on developing a database of Swedish heterotopic villages and assist families and individuals in finding and moving to the community where they will thrive.
It all started with a university project in machine mining where I tested the concept of using a tunneling machine to excavate settlements into the Martian regolith. The approach was viable but more and more questions emerged. These questions eventually led to a doctoral thesis about the innovative potential of remote villages.
Her PhD thesis titled Remote Villages as Heterotopias and Places of Utopics. Analogue Case Studies in Sweden and Israel in Preparation for Future Mars Settlement was published at James Cook University (Australia) in December 2019.
Prior to her research career, Dr Pfaffl received a Masters of Engineering in Mine Management (MMinEng) from the University of New South Wales (Australia). She has worked as a production manager in the quarrying industry and a project manager in tunneling in Sweden, as well as as a mining engineer in Germany and Australia. She lived in remote locations in South Australia and Queensland between 2010 – 2015.
Today Magdalena is applying her expertise through her own company, Ares Habitats, and is building Sweden’s first database of remote villages on heterotopia.se .
Dr Pfaffl is an Arctic Frontiers Emerging Leaders graduate and an Australian Postgraduate Award awardee. She held lectures among others at University of Vienna and Imperial College in London.