Jennifer DUSDAL

Jennifer DUSDAL is a Research Scientist at the Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences, University of Luxembourg. She is the elected Head of the Institute of Education & Society and a board member of the Department of Social Sciences. She is also an associated Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Leibniz Center for Science and Society (LCSS), Leibniz University of Hannover, with research experience in the USA and Germany.

Her research focuses on the sociology of science, higher education and science systems, science production, and international collaboration networks. She uniquely combines theories from sociology of science, bibliometric indicators, and big data analytics—including data mining and network analysis—to investigate how scientific breakthroughs emerge and diffuse. Her work supports policy-relevant, interdisciplinary research across faculties and institutions.

She is actively involved in leading and contributing to major research initiatives, including the SEEDS project (Lead-PI), Q-KNOW (Co-PI), T-PATHS (external partner), and a Horizon Europe COST Action on the future of European higher education and research. She supervises doctoral candidates and is associated with the Doctoral Training Unit on Data-Driven Computational Modelling and the Doctoral School in Humanities and Social Sciences. She is Vice-Program Director of the M.A. in Social Sciences and Educational Sciences and a steering committee member of the Scienteens Lab.

Her scientific excellence was recognized with the Ulrich-Teichler-Prize in 2018 for her doctoral dissertation. She is a founding member and treasurer of the Luxembourg Educational Research Association and organizes the lecture series “Science of Science in the Spotlight” since 2020 to promote interdisciplinary dialogue and public engagement.

• Ulrich-Teichler-Prize for Outstanding Dissertations 2018

Jennifer DUSDAL advises doctoral candidates and contributes to research training through her roles in doctoral schools and training units. She has secured and led interdisciplinary grants such as the SEEDS project and participated in international collaborative grants including Q-KNOW and T-PATHS. Her leadership extends to science policy engagement through the LCSS and national representation in EU research networks. She has served on scholarship selection and accreditation committees, and advocated for junior scholars in institutional governance.

She is involved in several research teams and networks: the Institute of Education & Society (leadership), the interdisciplinary SEEDS project team, the Scienteens Lab steering committee, the Horizon Europe COST Action Management Committee, and the Working Group on Science Studies “Science and Higher Education”. These groups facilitate interdisciplinary, cross-institutional, and international collaboration in science of science research.