It gives us great pleasure to announce that the recipient of the 2025 Annual Dissertation Award is Dr Tomas Walker-Borsa, Oxford University, for the outstanding dissertation ‘Future Proof: the Meanings and Makings of The Fibre Project on Haida Gwaii’.
This award is for the best dissertation submitted in English; we will be announcing the winner of the best dissertation submitted in Portuguese soon.
Dr Walker-Borsa’s dissertation demonstrates excellence in the execution of a critical ethnography and an infrastructures approach to the fibre network of the islands of Haida Gwaii. This is an extensive and in-depth account of the development of a full-fibre network in a rural setting. It makes a strong methodological contribution, combining surveys, news analysis and ethnographic approaches including interviews, participation and photography. It is theoretically rich, reflective and informed. It addresses a wide range of issues related to internet access, infrastructure, community and alternative networks, Indigenous-led rural broadband development. The project makes a very strong contribution to the field, particularly in debates about digital sovereignty and self-determination. By focusing on the communities in which the network was developed, the research contributes to a deeper understanding of infrastructure’s cultural and social dimensions.
The committee also recognises Dr Louisa Bartolo, Queensland University of Technology with an Honourable Mention. Dr Bartolo’s dissertation, entitled ‘Algorithmic Recommendation as Repair Work: Towards a More Just Distribution of Attention on Cultural and Entertainment Platforms’ is an exemplary, original, empirical study of algorithmic recommendation systems. The project develops an empirically grounded conceptual approach to algorithmic recommendation, and presents clear recommendations for how this could be done otherwise. The dissertation clearly articulates the findings of empirical evidence of recommendation systems across two platforms. It also offers alternative designs for recommender systems to work towards more reparative ends. It makes strong methodological contributions, as well as an original contribution to the field, and is highly relevant to debates about platform politics and algorithmic culture.
AoIR is grateful for the hard work by this year’s AoIR Dissertation Award committee: Kate O’Riordan (Chair), Vanessa Valiati, Jean-Christophe Plantin and Usha Raman. Thank you for your hard work and professionalism during the review process.
