Kathia Serrano Velarde

Prof. Dr. Kathia Serrano Velarde is a Political Sociology Professor at Heidelberg University's Max-Weber-Institute of Sociology. Her research focuses on transformation in European education/research systems, with emphases on research funding mechanisms, policy discourse analysis, and civic participation. She holds leadership roles as Vice-President of the International Sociological Association's Research Committee 17 and Board Member of the German Sociological Association's Organizational Sociology Section.

Education: PhD (Humboldt University Berlin, 2007) on German quality assurance agencies. Postdoc at Sciences Po Paris (2007-2008). Visiting Fellowships at Stanford University (2013-2014) and Stockholm University (2013-2014). Professional trajectory includes roles at Heidelberg's Centre for Social Investment and Max-Weber-Institute.

Research Interests:

• Scientific grant writing practices
• Policy design and evidence use
• Volunteering dynamics in healthcare
• Crisis management in state organizations
• Academic career trajectories

Publications: Over 50 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters since 2007, including key contributions to Current Sociology, Minerva, and Soziale Welt. Recent work addresses grant competition dynamics, crisis governance mechanisms, and institutional learning processes in academia.

Grants & Projects: Current project NEVIVO examines policy evidence frameworks. Past projects include studies on German research grant systems and Norwegian-German innovation policy comparisons. Active in transdisciplinary knowledge transfer initiatives like the Social Impact Readiness Index (SIRI).

Labs/Teams: Core member of the Max-Weber-Institute's Political Sociology unit and Heidelberg's Centre for Social Investment (CSI). Collaborates across disciplines in Heidelberg's sociology and governance research clusters.