Sandra Hasanefendic

Sandra Hasanefendic is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, with affiliations to the Amsterdam Sustainability Institute and AIMMS. Her research focuses on R&D and technology upscaling for sustainability, particularly in photovoltaics, smart cities, and sustainable product innovation. She holds a double PhD from ISCTE-IUL (Lisbon) and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, with international collaborations across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

Education includes a PhD in 2018 (awarded jointly by Lisbon and Amsterdam), Master's from University of Aveiro (2011), and a Bachelor's from University of Novi Sad (2009). Awards include Portuguese Science Foundation Scholarship (2013–2017) and Serbian national academic recognitions.

Her research interests span sustainable energy systems, technology innovation policy, and stakeholder-driven urban transformation. She leads the Breakthrough Tech Innovation research group and collaborates with startups, universities, and public institutions globally. Key contributions include work on grid parity for solar photovoltaics, smart city stakeholder dynamics, and crowdfunding mechanisms for tech financing.

Teaching focuses on innovation management and value creation in life sciences and energy sectors. Grants include Horizon 2020 projects (totaling €4.2M) and Erasmus+ initiatives. She actively supervises PhD candidates and advises on interdisciplinary sustainability projects.

• Grants: €3.9M H2020 ADAPTED project (SDG-focused), €300k H2020 SoftSkills4PhDs
• Labs/Teams: Breakthrough Tech Innovation Group, Chemtech-to-Market Lab