Dr. Laurens Hessels

Laurens Hessels works with the Rathenau Instute since September 2010. He studies coordination in the Dutch science system.

Academic background and career

Laurens studied Environmental Chemistry and Philosophy of Science at the University of Amsterdam. From 2006 until 2010 he worked on a PhD-project in the Innovation Studies Group at Utrecht University. Laurens investigated how university researchers deal with possible practical applications of their work. In 2010 he graduated on the thesis 'Science and the Struggle for Relevance', which contributes to the debate about changes in the science system, and the putative shift towards 'Mode 2 knowledge production'.