Ph.D.: “The role of the state in knowledge creation for technical standards”

The Department of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences (IE&IS) of the Eindhoven University of Technology is opening a 4-year, fully funded Ph.D. position. The position is designed to foster research on the project 'The role of the state in knowledge creation for technical standards'.

The project:

In many technical areas, standards shape how the future of technology looks like, and determines who is winning and who is losing the game. The strategic dimension of standardization is nowadays widely recognized by both companies and governments, who actively participate in standardization, discuss standardization-related policy and regulation, and more. This Ph.D. project looks at a fundamental element in this discussion that is still under-researched: where does the underlying knowledge come from that enable and give direction to standards? Following the current academic and policy debate on the role of the state in knowledge development (see Mazzucato, 2013), one of the main questions in this project is to understand the relative contribution of government (funded) research compared to that of commercial research and development. Such an understanding does not only have scientific relevance, but also significant policy relevance in light of growing geopolitical tensions in the field of standardization. This Ph.D. project includes four studies that use state-of-the art approaches in the field of economics, econometrics, and management. A more extensive project description is available upon request (see contact information below).

Job description:

You, as a successful applicant, will develop state of the art skills in research through empirical analyses that combine quantitative techniques (network analysis, statistical analysis, regression analysis) and qualitative analysis (including interviewing stakeholders and qualitative data analysis). You will present the results of the research in a Ph.D. dissertation, to be completed within four years, and will publish academic journal articles based on your work. Throughout the project, you will present results at international academic conferences. A small teaching load is part of the job.

Organization:

Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) is one of the world's leading research universities. Already for years, TU/e has been in the top 20 percent worldwide of the general Times Higher Education and QS rankings, and is rated 12th in the ARWU/Shanghai ranking for Engineering Technology and Computer. It is particularly well-known for its joint research with industry. Through excellent research TU/e aims at providing solutions to global societal challenges and contributing to the prosperity and welfare in the region and beyond. TU/e is located at the heart of Brainport Eindhoven, a world-class high-tech innovation hub, renowned for its high level of investments in R&D and for filing the largest number of patent applications per year in Europe.

Research group and supervision:

At Eindhoven University of Technology, you will be part of two groups. Firstly, the Technology, Innovation, and Society (TIS) group, which is a young, ambitious, and international group with an excellent track record. Our research focuses on understanding the development and use of technology in a business and societal context. Our main research topics are in the knowledge economy, the economics of innovation and intellectual property, system innovation, and sustainability transitions. Secondly the Innovation, Technology Entrepreneurship and Marketing (ITEM) group, which is a dynamic group focusing on understanding and improving new business and product development processes within firms, organizations, and institutions in a high-tech context.

This project is part of a SOONS, a collaboration that also includes Delft University of Technology (Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management), Erasmus University (Rotterdam School of Management), and the Netherlands Standardization Institute (NEN). As a successful candidate, you will also extensively work with the other Ph.D. researchers on standardization part of this collaboration.

During your Ph.D. appointment, you will work under the supervision of prof. Rudi Bekkers, dr. Paul Wiegmann, and dr. Emilio Raiteri (all TU/e), and also receive advice and guidance from dr. Geerten van de Kaa (Delft University of Technology).