معرفی
Thomas Völker is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the MSCA SEAS programme at the Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities at the University of Bergen. His research focuses on environmental governance, sustainable aquaculture transitions, and the implementation of circular economy policies through responsible research and innovation (RRI) principles in Norway.
Dr. Völker holds a PhD from the University of Vienna where he studied 'futuring' practices in transdisciplinary sustainability research from a Science and Technology Studies (STS) perspective. Prior to his current position, he worked at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), where he developed expertise in participatory decision-making at the interfaces between science, policy, and society.
His research interests span multiple interconnected fields including Science and Technology Studies, environmental governance, sustainable aquaculture development, circular economy implementation, and participatory democracy in policymaking. Völker examines how knowledge is produced and circulated in environmental governance contexts, with particular attention to collective experiments with participatory democracy in policy formulation.
Völker has made significant contributions to understanding how indicators and measurement systems shape environmental policy, particularly in the European context. His work reveals how seemingly technical measurement practices carry political implications and shape visions of sustainable futures. He has also contributed to UNESCO's work on universities and the 2030 Agenda as a representative of the University of Bergen.
Dr. Völker is an active contributor to academic discourse through publications, conference presentations, and public engagement. His recent work has focused on translating responsible research and innovation principles into territorial contexts, examining the politics of measurement in energy efficiency policy, and exploring engagement collectives at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre.
He has taught extensively at both university and policy institution levels, developing courses on citizen engagement, knowledge production cultures, temporalities in knowledge societies, and understanding technoscientific futures. His teaching reflects his commitment to bridging academic theory with practical policy applications.
