Academic positions and qualifications
Chair of Science and Innovation Studies, CWTS Leiden University (Netherlands). Visiting fellow at the Leiden University's Dual PhD center at the Campus The Hague. Visiting professor at Stellenbosch University (South Africa).
MSc, Leiden University (applied statistics, research methodology, psychology), PhD in Science Studies, Leiden University.
Professional activities and interests
More than 20 years of experience is commissioned evaluation studies for institutional clients worldwide - mostly from the public sector. Robert is the producer of the CWTS University-Industry Research Cooperation Scoreboard (UIRC), former coordinator of the Netherlands Observatory of Science and Technology, contributor to the U-Multirank classification system of universities worldwide, contributor to the Innovation Union Scoreboard (formerly European Innovation Scoreboard), and he on the editorial board of the international journal Research Evaluation.
His current research activities, interests and advisory work include:
1) Empirical studies and quantitative analyses of science -based innovation systems (university-industry R&D cooperation; knowledge flows and networks; patents and intellectual property rights; globalization; emerging economies).
2) Measurement, assessment, monitoring and evaluation of research universities, research institutes, science systems and higher education systems (research assessment methodologies and metrics; science and technology indicators; bibliometric evaluation of research performance, global university rankings; societal and economic impacts of science; research-intensive universities, enterpreneurial universities and developmental universities).
3) Geographical dimensions of contemporary research systems (localisation; regionalisation and globalisation of scientific cooperation and mobility; economic geography of science; European Research Area).
Lectures, academic teaching and training
His public appearance include keynote presentations at international scientific conferences, as well as contributions to seminars and workships on a wide range of topics: bibliometrics and scientometrics; university-industry cooperation; science-innovation linkages; economics of science; patents and patent citations; bibliometric monitoring and assessment; science indicators; research quality assurance and assessment; measuring research excellence.
His contribution to the courseware at CWTS currently focuses on the economics of science, public-private R&D linkages, science and innovation indicators for research management, and world university rankings. His teaching at Stellenbosch includes courses and topics of relevance to research analysts and decision-makers on science in Africa and less developed countries.
PhD training: associated with Leiden University's Dual PhD programme at the University Campus in The Hague.
Memberships
Member of CWTS board; Broad member of the European Network of Indicators Designers (ENID); Member of the Netherlands Graduate School on Science, Technology and Modern Culture (WTMC), and the International Society for Scientometrics and Informetrics (ISSI). Member of the editorial (advisory) boards of the international journals Research Evaluation and Scientometrics; Member of advisory boards, experts groups and steering groups at the European Commission.
Academic publications
His scientific publication output comprises more than 80 publications including some 50 research articles in peer-reviewed international journals including: Nature, Research Policy, Evaluation Review, Research Evaluation, Technology Analysis and Strategic Management, Scientometrics, Journal of Information Science, Journal of Informetrics, Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology.