Damla Diriker

Damla Diriker is a Researcher and Ph.D. candidate at the KIN Center for Digital Innovation, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She holds a Research Master's in Business in Society (VU/UvA), a Master's in Management Engineering with Energy specialization (Politecnico di Milano), and a Bachelor's in Industrial Engineering (Galatasaray University). Her work focuses on leveraging digital platforms and collaborative crowdsourcing to address complex societal challenges. She employs mixed-method approaches to study organizational strategies for open innovation and multi-stakeholder problem-solving.

Education:

• Ph.D. Candidate (Ongoing) – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
• Research Master's in Business in Society (2018–2020) – VU & UvA
• Master's in Engineering Management (2014–2016) – Politecnico di Milano
• Bachelor's in Industrial Engineering (2010–2014) – Galatasaray University

Research Interests:
Her work explores how digital platforms enable knowledge integration, manage paradoxes in sustainability initiatives, and orchestrate open innovation. Key themes include:

• Crowdsourcing mechanisms for grand challenges
• Punctuated openness in organizational dynamics
• Social sustainability in microfinance
• Cross-sector collaboration frameworks

Awards:

• 2020 AOM Best Paper Award (with A. Porter & P. Tuertscher)
• 2021 SBE Education Award (with A. Porter, P. Tuertscher & M. Boons)

Teaching & Projects:
Teaches Qualitative Research Methods and Management of Sustainable Innovation. Leads the SBE Future of Learning Challenge project, focusing on co-creation and student engagement.