Drs. Ira van Keulen

Ira joined the staff of the Rathenau Institute as a senior researcher in January 2009. She specializes in nanotechnology and converging technologies (in association with Bart Walhout and Rinie van Est). She also examines aspects of cognitive science.

Academic background and career
Ira studied Sociology at the University of Groningen and at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Her graduation project examined the social implications of the 'quest for homogeneity'. She has since focused on the interaction between technology and society, and has contributed to the Infodrome (a government thinktank on ICT and society). For the Future of Technology Foundation, she produced a report on the potential applications of neurological and cognitive science in education, diet and nutrition, interface design and law enforcement. Ira has a previous affiliation with the Rathenau Institute, having worked on projects in animal welfare, nanotechnology and (nuclear) energy between 2003 and 2005. In addition to her work for the institute, Ira has edited a special edition of Advances in Medical Sociology entitled 'Sociological Reflections on the Neurosciences'. She is a member of the Breinhuis Nederland group.