Talk with the professors - Claudia Werker
Claudia Werker
Claudia is an Associate Professor who does her research in Economics of Technology and Innovation. She is leading the initiative to implement Inclusive Research and Innovation (IRI) in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) at Delft University of Technology.
According to you, why should engineers choose to pursue MOT?
Engineering BAs who want to learn how to combine engineering and social sciences (e.g. management, economics etc.) should choose MOT. By doing so, they will be able to bridge between the engineering and the business/societal side.
What should students expect from the MOT program?
Engineering BAs entering the MOT programme can expect a thorough training beyond engineering. This entails a completely different way of doing research, academic reasoning and communication.
What do you think makes MOT different from other programs in management?
Management programs are usually much broader than MOT and enable their graduates to contribute to managing all kinds of organizations, work processes etc. MOT has a strong focus on technology and engineering, so that students of the programme focus on managing technology-oriented organizations, engineering processes etc. At the same time, MOT provides solid knowledge on how to embed this techno-oriented management in a societal context, i.e. how to pursue societal goals such as dealing with climate change or our ageing Western industrialized countries.
What is your research area, and how does this relate to the MOT program?
My research area has been Economics of Technology and Innovation. In recent years, I have been focusing on Inclusive Research and Innovation (IRI) in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). In the meantime, this became a strategic priority of Delft University of Technology. I am leading the initiative to implement IRI in STEM at Delft University of Technology. We develop systematic ways to consider the diversity of human beings in STEM research, teaching, and innovation. To give an example, currently crash-test dummies mainly mirror the body of the ‘average’ man, so that women but also very tall, short, thick, or thin men are much more likely to get injured or die in car accidents. IRI in STEM means that researchers in this field as well as car manufacturers would work on and with more diverse crash-test dummies. For what this would take, you find more information on our podcast on Diversity of crash test dummies? Safety and security in automobiles. In MOT113a Technology Dynamics, we teach IRI in STEM.
How has your experience been at the faculty of TPM?
For more than sixteen years, I have been working for the Faculty of Technology, Policy, and Management. The faculty has always been a place where social sciences meet STEM in an interdisciplinary (across disciplines) and a transdisciplinary (beyond the university sector) way. During the years, we have been focusing increasingly on responsible research and innovation, i.e. how technological processes and solutions contribute to values, i.e. things worth striving for, of various agents and stakeholders. In recent years, diversity and inclusion, in particular IRI in STEM, has become an important part of this development.
