Susan van Hees
Assistant Professor in Innovation Studies, Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development
Susan is an Assistant Professor in Innovation Studies at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, specializing in health and ageing innovations and policies. Her research is grounded in Science and Technology Studies (STS) and enriched by broader Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) literature. She focuses on how innovations and technologies are developed, implemented, and given meaning by the various actors involved. It fascinates Susan how (older) citizens targeted by these innovations and the developers and policymakers behind them can talk different languages and she is eager to bridge this gap.
Current and past project involvement includes several European (Horizon) and national projects, such as , , and . Projects that address issues like smarter living environments for ageing societies, AI to support people with (early signs of) dementia, and infrastructures for the sharing and (re)use of data in research on rare cancers. Furthermore it spans smaller-scale projects, including on fast quantitative MRI implementation and on inclusive mobile ageing. Susan's contributions span conceptual frameworks on ageing and place, valuation in health innovations, and responsible innovation, utilizing both traditional qualitative methods and novel co-creation approaches. For instance, she co-developed a with social designer Malou van Dijck to help participants articulate their stories.
Next to being part of research communities and , Susan is an active member of the , a growing academic community focused on the intersection of ageing and technology. She hold a and has previously worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Tilburg University. Academically she was educated via a BA and MA in Public Administration (Tilburg University).
At the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Susan contributes to bachelor and master teaching programs. In the Bachelor Science & Innovation Management and Master Innovation Sciences and Sustainable Business & Innovation. she contributes in various courses as teacher, tutor, supervisor, course coordinator and as track coordinator (Bachelor track Life Sciences).