Postdoc position on The Origins of Breakthrough Inventions (1.0 FTE)

This postdoc position is part of the NWO-VICI project “The Genealogy of Novelty: An evolutionary explanation of breakthrough inventions in science, technology, and the arts” and aims to analyze the personal, institutional and geographical conditions supportive of breakthrough inventions. The project will investigate breakthroughs in science, technology and the arts. Currently, four PhD students are employed on the grant.

One of the key questions in the project is whether people with a variety of knowledge and experiences, are also the most creative and successful. A second question is what geographical and personal conditions favor breakthrough innovation and the institutional change processes prompted by it. These questions will be addressed using databases (on documents, inventors, artefacts), agent-based modelling and/or detailed case studies. The candidate is also encouraged to support the PhD students currently working on sub-projects and collaborate with them.

We seek highly motivated candidates with a PhD degree in Innovation Studies, Economics, Management, Geography, History, Sociology, Political Science, Science & Technologies studies or a related discipline. We are looking for candidates who:

• have knowledge about theories of innovation;
• have affinity with, or willingness to learn about theories from evolutionary economics, complexity theory and/or institutional sociology;
• have a strong background in quantitative and/or qualitative methodologies;
• are proficient in English;
• have excellent scientific writing and planning skills.

The postdoc can spend the vast majority of their time on the research project, only 10% of their time will be spent on teaching and supervision of (under)graduate research projects.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, colleagues from various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major societal themes. Our focus is on Sustainability, Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, and Life Sciences.

Utrecht University has been ranked in the 2017 Academic Ranking of World Universities as the best university in the Netherlands, and as one of the leading research universities in Europe. Utrecht University’s sustainability research has the greatest citation impact worldwide according to a study conducted by Times Higher Education (2016).

The city of Utrecht is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, with a charming old centre and an internationally oriented culture that is strongly influenced by its century-old university. Utrecht has been consistently ranked as one of the most livable cities in the Netherlands.

Utrecht University's Faculty of Geosciences offers education and research concerning the geosphere, biosphere, atmosphere and anthroposphere. With 3,400 students (BSc and MSc) and 720 staff, the Faculty is a strong and challenging organisation.

The Faculty of Geosciences is organized in four Departments: Earth Sciences, Human Geography & Urban & Regional Planning, Physical Geography, and Innovation, Environmental & Energy Sciences (IEES). The research of the IEES Department is organized in the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development.

The Copernicus Institute is part of the Faculty of Geosciences. The Copernicus Institute has been evaluated in a 2014 international review as the highest ranked Research Institute in Environmental Sciences in the Netherlands. Since then, the Institute has intensified its efforts in maintaining its leading position, among others by investing in several new international Faculty appointments and by developing new, internationally oriented teaching programmes.

The candidate will become part of the Innovation Studies group of the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University. Professor Koen Frenken will act as supervisor.