Vincent de Gooyert’s research and teaching focus on enhancing our understanding of, and ability to influence, societal transformations towards sustainability. De Gooyert is trained as an engineer and sociologist, and in his work he strives to transcend disciplinary boundaries by utilising and contributing to methods in the fields of stakeholder engagement, system dynamics and socio-technical transitions. Driven by a desire to help stakeholders develop a broader, more holistic understanding of complex sustainability challenges, he applies participatory research methods to facilitate groups of stakeholders in developing a shared understanding of sustainability challenges and in jointly identifying coordinated strategies to bring about sustainability transitions.
I look forward to continuing the research programme on the dynamics of sustainability transitions together with all PhD students, postdocs and other colleagues. Although technology and innovation are often credited with driving sustainability, achieving sustainability transitions ultimately depends on the responsible organisation of systemic change.
About Vincent de Gooyert
Prof. Dr. Ir. Vincent de Gooyert (1983, Veldhoven) began his academic career at Delft University of Technology, where he obtained his Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering, Policy Analysis & Management and his Master of Science in Transport, Infrastructure & Logistics. He then went on to study at Erasmus University Rotterdam to obtain a Master of Science in Sociology. In 2011, he began his PhD programme at Radboud University, where he investigated the factors determining the course of the energy transition in the Netherlands. The energy transition is a complex interplay of technological and societal developments that influence one another. In 2015, he was awarded his PhD for his thesis “Stakeholder dynamics in the Dutch energy transition,” in which he designed and conducted a stakeholder dialogue involving around 100 participants from various sectors of the energy transition.
During his PhD programme, De Gooyert was a visiting researcher at the MIT Sloan School of Management and the Schulich School of Business at York University. He was subsequently appointed as an assistant professor in System Dynamics (2016–2021) and as an associate professor in System Dynamics (2021–2026) at the Nijmegen School of Management at Radboud University. From 1 July 2025, he also holds the position as Head of the Department of Business Administration here.
Throughout his career, De Gooyert has received various awards and secured major consortium grants, including, most recently, the SPINES project: a research project aimed at strengthening infrastructure (NWO/NGinfra). Additionally, De Gooyert worked for eight years as a ‘knowledge broker’ (scientific adviser) within the Next Generation Infrastructure knowledge consortium, bridging the gap between academia and the practical work of infrastructure managers (Rijkswaterstaat, Alliander, ProRail, the Port of Rotterdam Authority, Vitens, Schiphol).
I remain committed to supporting the staff of the Business Administration department as department chair, and I hope in this way to continue contributing to the unique teaching and research activities surrounding our ‘responsible organising’ programme.