The Direction of Innovation and Science

Abstract:

My research is focused on improving our general understanding of the mechanisms underlying scientific productivity. In particular, I am working on two projects in this area which will benefit particularly from attending DRUID17. The first one (a paper has been submitted for presentation) investigates the relationship between mobility, collaboration and scientific productivity in the context of biology research in British universities. This paper, co-authored with Francesco DiLorenzo (CBS) and Benjamin Campbell (OhioState) would be presented for the first time in a scientific conference and therefore would benefit very much from the audience attending DRUID conferences, as they are generally very knowledgeable on this subject. The second one is a broader effort that takes root in a project financed by the DFF through a Postdoc and a Sapere Aude-Research Talentgrant. The project investigates the effect of social influence on individual academic scientific productivity following the merger of the Science Faculty at the University of Copenhagen. The topic of production of scientific knowledge has attracted a large interest in a variety of academic communities but cross-disciplinary possibilities of interaction are limited. I have therefore undertaken a large effort to create a multidisciplinary forum, by organizing a series of events in 2016, including a dedicated workshop and a Professional Development Workshop (PDW) at DRUID16. In order to maintain momentum a strengthen the community built at these two events, I have organized a follow-up PDW on the Direction of Innovation and Science, with Jeff Furman (BostonUniversity) and Florenta Teodoridis (USC). This half-day PDW comprises a selected panel of world-renowned scholars working on this topic who will discuss recent advances and new challenges. Unlike in a traditional conference session, the PDW panelists will not present specific papers, but rather foster a more general discussion on how to advance research on this topic. The PDW has been accepted to be included in the conference program. Continuing building a community around these topics helps not only my specific project through input from leading researchers in this area, but creates also a strong network of academics sharing knowledge and potentially developing new research collaborations.