Wouter Boon appointed Professor of Innovation and Transition Studies

Innovation researcher Dr Wouter Boon from the Faculty of Geosciences' Department of Sustainable Development has been appointed as Professor of Innovation and Transition Studies as of 1 November 2023. "The Faculty of Geosciences is very pleased with Wouter Boon's appointment", says Dr Wilco Hazeleger, Dean of the Faculty of Geosciences. "He is the perfect person to connect scientific research and education with societal partners who are innovating and going through transitions." Wouter Boon  has been affiliated with the Department of Sustainable Development since 2013. Before that, he conducted his PhD research at the department and worked at innovation studies groups in other universities and the Rathenau Institute. Innovation studies is an interdisciplinary field of expertise that investigates the origins of innovation and its impact on society. The field studies how businesses, governments and other societal actors can contribute to the development, distribution and implementation of new products and services. Innovation studies has a long tradition at Utrecht University: since 1999 the Innovation Studies group has become a leading group in innovation and transition research and has sustained successful teaching programmes on innovation.