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

The 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 and collaborate the PhD students currently working on sub-projects.