Research seminar by Julian Kirchherr from Utrecht University/Roskilde University/McKinsey & Company, invited by James Thewissen

More about Julian Kirchherr (from Utrecht University)

Research focus: Circular economy, Sustainability transitions

Dr. Julian Kirchherr is a researcher at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development (CISD) at Utrecht University and Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company. He started his work at CISD as a tenure-track assistant professor in 2017. Julian holds a doctorate from the School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford.

Focus on sustainable transitions

Much of Julian's research investigates sustainability transitions and the role the private sector can play in these. Most of his current work investigates the circular economy concept as a vehicle for such transitions. For instance, he’s the Principle Investigator (PI) of the NWO-funded research project Transitioning Towards a Circular Economy: The Role of Circular Start-up Hubs. He also supervises several PhD projects on the circular economy.

Schedule     

Description

This course introduces students to the essential stages of the research project lifecycle, from problem identification to project execution. It emphasizes how to formulate clear research questions, define objectives and hypotheses, and anchor them within theoretical frameworks. Students will learn to design rigorous research protocols, select appropriate methodological approaches, and plan resources, timelines and milestones effectively. The course also covers project management tools - such as Gantt charts, risk assessment frameworks, and contingency planning, as well as good practices for collaboration, supervision and progress monitoring. By the end of the seminar, students will be able to prepare a structured research plan, design a research project aligned with academic standards, and present their proposal with confidence and clarity.

3 ECTS

Prof. Valérie SWAEN & Ingrid PONCIN

See the full course description here

CONTENT 

This course has four main objectives:

1. Framing a Research Problem

   • Identifying gaps in the literature

   • Defining research objectives and hypotheses

   • Aligning research questions with theoretical frameworks

   • Positioning a research project within an existing body of knowledge

2. Structuring a Research Project

   • Designing a research protocol

   • Choosing qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methodologies

   • Constructing variables and defining data needs

   • Planning data collection and analysis strategies

3. Project Management Tools

   • Develop Gantt charts, milestones, and deliverables

   • Resource allocation and timeline planning

   • Risk assessment and contingency planning

   • Collaboration and supervision dynamics

4. Writing a doctoral admission file

   • Gather and produce all the required materials to complete a doctoral admission application or a doctoral scholarship submission

EVALUATION METHODS 

Students are assessed on a continuous basis, including:
 

1. Group activities: reading, analyzing, presenting and discussing scientific articles and research projects;

2. Individual assignments: developing a robust research project and preparing a detailed research plan.

3. Oral presentation: pitching a doctoral research project.

4. Class participation.

By the end of this seminar, students will be able to:
 

• Prepare a structured and coherent research plan.

• Write a research project aligned with academic standards.

• Pitch their doctoral research proposal effectively.

Important note: By submitting an assignment for evaluation, students affirm that (i) the work accurately reflects the verified facts—particularly when generative AI tools are used, which must be explicitly acknowledged—and (ii) all requirements, including those related to transparency and documentation, have been fully met.
Failure to respect these commitments, whether intentionally or through negligence, constitutes a violation of academic integrity and will be treated as academic misconduct

Schedule 

Description

In recent years, the scientific community has confronted significant challenges that threaten its credibility and its contribution to society. The so-called reproducibility crisis has shown that a substantial share of published findings cannot be reliably replicated, raising concerns about the robustness of current research practices. At the same time, growing awareness of questionable research practices has highlighted the urgent need for stronger norms of integrity, transparency and responsible conduct.
This course engages with these challenges by examining the principles of research ethics and the transformative potential of open science. Openness and transparency are not abstract ideals; they are essential for rebuilding trust in scientific work and ensuring that research genuinely serves the public good. Participants will explore how to implement responsible data management, share research outputs openly, and navigate complex ethical dilemmas, particularly in a landscape increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. By fostering integrity, accountability and critical reflection, this course prepares future researchers to lead with rigor, openness, and responsibility in a rapidly evolving scientific environment.

3 ECTS

See the full course description here

CONTENT 

This course has two primary objectives:
 

• To examine the fundamental principles of scientific integrity and research ethics, addressing key challenges, common pitfalls, and best practices for ensuring responsible and ethical research conduct.

• To examine the core dimensions of Open Science – its rationale, benefits and limitations - and provide practical guidance on how researchers can meaningfully and effectively implement open science practices throughout the research lifecycle.

Content covered includes:
 

• Foundations of research ethics and responsible conduct of research

• Principles and norms of scientific integrity (e.g., honesty, transparency, accountability, rigor)

• Open Science: concepts, societal value, and current policy landscape

• Open Access to scientific publications: models, rights retention, and strategic choices

• Open and FAIR data: principles, benefits, and challenges

• Responsible research data management, including Data Management Plans

• Preregistration and registered reports: purposes, platforms, and practical implementation

• Ethical and methodological challenges in an era of AI‑assisted research

• Tensions and trade‑offs between openness, privacy, intellectual property, and research ethics

EVALUATION METHODS 

As part of this course, students are assessed on a continuous basis. The evaluation includes:
 

1. (i) Group activities such as reading, analyzing, presenting and discussing scientific articles related to research ethics and open science;

2. (ii) Individual assignments, including the development of a robust Data Management Plan (DMP) for their master thesis or doctoral project (applying FAIR principles), the drafting of a preregistration, and/or the creation and presentation of an Open science integration plan;

3. (iii) active class participation.

Important note: By submitting an assignment for evaluation, students affirm that (i) the submitted work accurately reflects the facts. To ensure this, students must have verified all factual claims, especially those originating from generative AI tools (which must be explicitly acknowledged as support tools if used); and (ii) they have complied with all specific requirements of the assignment, particularly those concerning transparency and documentation of the process.
Failure to meet any of these commitments - whether through intent or negligence – constitutes a breach of the students’ obligation to truthfulness and may violate broader principles of academic integrity. Such breaches constitute academic misconduct.

Research seminar by Steve Kennedy from Rotterdam School of Management, invited by Valérie Swaen 

More about Steve Kennedy (from RSM website)

Steve Kennedy is Associate Professor researching business sustainability at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University.

His current research approaches how systems and resilience thinking can help organizations innovate to tackle grand societal challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss. Beyond this, he also undertakes qualitative and conceptual research on sustainability accounting and reporting, circular economy business models and responsible managment education. His research has featured in peer-reviewed scientific journals such as Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Management, Strategic Organization, Long Range Planning, Business & Society, and Business Strategy & the Environment.

Dr Kennedy is the Scientific Director of the Centre for Eco-Transformation. He is a member of the Organizations & Natural Environment division of the Academy of Management and the Group for Research on Organizations and the Natural Environment (GRONEN).

He is the former Academic Director of the MSc Global Business & Sustainability (2015-2021) and is an active member of the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) network. He teaches across multiple levels of education from Executive Education to Bachelors including MSc courses Climate Change Strategy Role-Play and Business Sustainability & Social-Ecological Systems.

Description

This course should allow the students to access to a critical theory of knowledge applied to management and, in a wider sense, to all disciplines that belong to management studies. Such a goal is at the same time theoretical and practical: firstly, it should help students understand how a "management science" has been progressively invented, what are the challenges and limitations of such a project; secondly, it will introduce the participants to the main debates in the epistemological field, mixing fundamental and applied epistemologies; thirdly, it will give them reflexive roots to fulfill their research in management studies.

3 ECTS

Prof. Matthieu de Nanteuil

See the full course description here

Schedule 

Description

3 ECTS

Prof. Valérie SWAEN & Manuel KOLP

See the full course description here

COURSE OBJECTIVES 

The objective of the course is to help young researchers in management get a better understanding of the peer reviewed publication process and develop their academic writing skills. This course provides transversal competences to doctoral students and future researchers – i.e. competences that are useful regardless of their specific topic and discipline. During this seminar, students will learn how to write a literature review, an academic paper; how to get published and how to present a research paper. 

At the end of the course, students should be able to: 

• prepare a research plan and an academic paper; 
• write a paper following the academic standards; 
• review an academic paper; 
• pitch his/her research; 
• present a research seminar ; 
• build online profiles and web presence 

COURSE CONTENT 

The different topics that will be covered in this course are the following ones: 

• Defining what makes a good research idea? 
• Designing your literature review (Searching for literature; Quality of journals; Writing the literature review…) 
• Developing your research design (Conceptual model, hypotheses, methodology…) 
• Writing your paper: what and how? (Structure of an academic paper; Writing an abstract; Writing the basic sections: data collection, findings, discussion, conclusion, limitations and future research; Positioning a research and defining contributions; Common mistakes of novice writers…) 
• Publishing process (Soliciting for feedback; Developing research papers; Selecting an appropriate journal; Order of authors; Making the paper ready for submission; …) 
• Reviewing your paper 
• Presenting your research in a research seminar 
• Pitching your research to a non-expert audience 
• Becoming an impactful academic 
• Using Web Tools and establishing web presence and visibility 

COURSE ORGANIZATION 

Students are expected to prepare the writing/reading assignment and think about the topics before each session. They are also expected to contribute in an informed, critical and innovative manner during the sessions. 

EVALUATION METHODS 

Different assignments will be asked from students: 

• writing a working paper following the academic standards (see specific guidelines posted on Moodle); 
• presenting this working paper (see specific guidelines given in class); 
• reviewing a paper written by another student and discussing it after the oral presentation/poster. 

The assessment of your performance will be composed of the following elements: 

• Quality of the written working paper (65%) 
• Quality of the oral presentation of your working paper (20%) 
• Quality of your review and discussion of a classmate paper (15%) 

Schedule 

Research Seminar by Christian Vögtlin from ZHAW  - Zurich University of Applied Sciences, invited by Valérie Swaen

More about Christian Vögtlin (from ZHAW website) 

Fields of research: 

• Responsible Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility
• Human Resource Management
• Social Innovation
• Global Governance
• Neuroscience and Business Ethics

Research seminar by Amanda Williams from emlyon, invited by Valérie Swaen

More about Amanda Williams (from emlyon website) 

Sustainability, Social-ecological systems, Resilience theory, Field research, Planetary boundaries

My research lies at the intersection of corporate sustainability management and social-ecological systems. I study how organizations understand global sustainability issues and develop corporate sustainability strategies that align with global targets, such as the planetary boundaries and UN Sustainable Development Goals. I approach my work from a systems theory perspective and work with qualitative research methods such as ethnography and field research.