School of Social and Political Science

Research interests

Niki Vermeulen specialises in science and innovation policy and the organisation of research, with an emphasis on collaboration. She investigates the entanglement of epistemic and social transformations, analysing new ways of doing research as well as the political and institutional structures in which research is performed. Thereby she is working to integrate scientometrics research into qualitative research approaches to understand the dynamics of collaboration (together with CWTS, Leiden University), while she has also developed a particular interest in the geography and architecture of collaboration, investigating the places in and across which people are working together with colleagues from Géographie-cités. 

Research into collaboration is embedded in broader knowledge of developments in research and innovation policy. Research subjects in this area include the changing roles of universities; innovative clusters; research infrastructures; projectification of science; evaluation of research; open science; responsible metrics; research cultures; and careers of (young) researchers.

Current research projects concentrate on collaboration in marine science (OCEANLINKS), equity in global partnerships (OpenRAM), and research cultures (InFrame FirstGen; Sharing research spaces; and CoARA open research). See for more information below. 

Niki is founder of Curious Edinburgh providing app-based walking tours showcasing scientific and cultural heritage in Edinburgh:  a member of the Edinburgh Hub for Responsible Innovation, Innogen, the Institute for Science, Technology and Innovation Studies, the Centre for Science, Knowledge and Policy and the Edinburgh Futures Institute. 

As Director International for the School of Social and Political Science (SSPS), Niki is involved in the governance and evaluation of international partnerships, working with the team of Edinburgh Global, and a member of the European University Una Europa's Self Steering Committee in Cultural Heritage.

Background

Niki Vermeulen holds a PhD (2009) in Science and Technology Studies from Maastricht University, The Netherlands, was a Marie Curie research fellow in the Science and Technology Studies Unit at the University of York (2004), lecturer/researcher in the Department of the Social Studies of Science, University of Vienna (2009-2012), and Wellcome Trust research fellow in the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine of the University of Manchester (2012-2014). In 2014 she began as a lecturer in Science, Technology and Innovations Studies at the University of Edinburgh, where she was promoted to full professor in 2024 and gave her inaugural lecture 'A Manifestor for Collaboration' in March 2025.   

Since 2015, Niki is a visiting researcher at the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) of Leiden University, contributing to the development of an international strategic partnerships between the Universities of Edinburgh and Leiden, e.g. through joint PhD supervision. In the past she has been a visiting scholar at the Centre for Society and Life Sciences of the Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, the Depertmant of Sociology of the University of Madison-Wisconsin, USA, the Institut für Kulturwissenschaft, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the Centre for Interdisciplinary Health Research of the University of Augsburg. During her sabbatical in 2022 she was an EHESS guest professor at UMR Géographie-cités, CNRS in Paris and a DAAD research fellow at the Museum für Naturkunde and the Institut für Europäische Ethnologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. In May 2025 she was visiting professor at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University. 

Niki is a member of the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology (EASST), the UK Association for Studies in Innovation, Science and Technology (AsSIST-UK), the Netherlands Research School of Science, Technology and Modern Culture (WTMC), and an emeritus member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh's Young Academy of Scotland (YAS). 

Next to her academic positions, she has experience as a policy advisor and consultant in science and innovation policy, working for Technopolis Group, the Executive Board of Maastricht University, the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR), and the Scientific Council of the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Washington DC, USA. She has been a member of various advisory bodies, including ESRC/Innovate UK 'Innovation Caucus', the Marine Scotland's delivery group of Scotland’s marine science strategy and the University of Helsinki's research assesment panel 2025. 

Current Projects

Opening Research Assessment to Multi-Contexts (Marie-Curie Staff Exchange, Horizon)

OpenRAM seeks to transform research assessment by moving beyond publication-based indicators such as JIF and addressing their systemic biases. Current systems often overlook societal impact, undervalue diverse outputs like datasets or policy contributions, and marginalize knowledge from underrepresented regions. To respond to these challenges, OpenRAM introduces the Multiversatory, a participatory and federated living lab that integrates diverse data sources and develops context-sensitive indicators. The Multiversatory combines conceptual development, empirical case studies, and capacity building to create fairer and more transparent assessment practices. It promotes inclusive and participatory approaches, addresses epistemic inequities by making visible diverse knowledge systems, and fosters equitable collaborations between the Global North and South. Case studies will explore career assessment, institutional evaluation, and national research systems, testing how plural and conditional metrics can be applied across different contexts. By aligning with global initiatives such as DORA, the Leiden Manifesto, CoARA, the project operationalises responsible assessment principles through open infrastructures and participatory methodologies. Its interdisciplinary consortium, spanning Europe, Latin America, and Africa, will collaborate through secondments, peer learning, and training activities, ensuring that outputs are transferable and sustainable. OpenRAM will produce federated open infrastructures, participatory frameworks, and multilingual training programmes that strengthen the visibility of diverse research contributions. Scientifically it widens what counts in evaluation, economically it reduces dependence on proprietary systems through open tools, and societally it supports more equitable recognition of research aligned with local and global challenges. In doing so, OpenRAM aims to deliver practical frameworks that make responsible research assessment a reality.

This action is coordinated by Zehra Taskin of Hacettepe University. Edinburgh is working with Fernanda Beigel (Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza-Argentina) and Ismael Rafols (INGENIO CSIC-UPV, Univ. Politec. València) on WP3 leading the task on equity in Global Partnerships, building on the Evaluate project's framework for evaluating international partnerships (see below). 

Working-class in the class and boardroom: sharing first-generation staff experiences and creating opportunities for mutual learning and support (Wellcome Trust InFrame Culture Catalyst Fund)

FirstGen focuses on a hidden aspect of Research Cultures and their improvement: first-generation staff and the intersection between academic work, careers and class. This topic is a neglected element in EDI discussions. Yet, research indicates that educational and social backgrounds fundamentally shape academic trajectories and expectations. From initial conversations, we learned how openly talking about experiences can raise insecurities and even shame, leading to concealment. How, then, do first-generation staff experiences intersect with research culture, and what leadership is required to give them greater visibility and sense of belonging? We aim to uncover first-generation staff experiences, moving from individualised accounts towards collective conversations. By explicating common – epistemic, social and emotional – dimensions, we seek to create shared understandings and support career development and greater collegiality. In the InFrame context, we are especially interested in leadership, and how first-generation academics may provide a different type of leadership, beyond leading-by-example, creating more inclusive environments. Our work closely connects to Widening Participation discussions and student experiences. We aim to show how staff experiences resonate with those of students in our universities, opening rooms for shared conversations – from classroom to board room – developing actionable insights for policy. To do so, our project includes three interwoven workstreams that combine academic investigations with artistic methods and policy-oriented work: 1. Documenting life stories, 2. Exploring common ground, 3. Creating spaces for conversations and actions.

For more information see our website: https://sway.cloud.microsoft/fGIHoSYRpcchaNGw?ref=Link 

CoARA: Reflecting Open Research Progress to Guide Transformations in Assessment (ESF/Horizon)

The University of Edinburgh (UoE) is renowned for its expertise in Open Research (OR). Its data management policy and OR Roadmap emphasize sharing and reusability and encourages researchers to adopt FAIR practices, supported by an award-winning library team. UoE also hosts experts in open, social, and data sciences, like the present co-applicants from STIS and BioRDM. However, UoE's assessment of researchers does not mention Open Research. By combining our expertise, we will provide and promote the assessment of Open Research at both individual and organisational levels. We will first evaluate Open and FAIR sharing of research outputs in at least three pilot projects, using a scalable, validated process. Second, we will discuss the results and their implications with researchers, research managers, using external collaborative input from the University of Leiden. Finally, we will share the project's outcomes across UoE, our formal and informal networks and beyond, highlighting leading institutes and researchers to help embed Openness in research culture. We aim to influence local researcher evaluation by updating a specific field in the standardized, University-wide process for academic staff promotions. Gaining agreement to update this component offers an achievable way to recognize Open and FAIR outputs, aligned with CoARA’s goals. The project is led by Andrew Millar (BioRDM) in collaboration with Alex Peden, Head of Research Cultures. 

For more information see the website for the Coalition for Advancing Research Assesment (CoARA) and the Edinburgh website on research cultures, including responsible research assessment. 

OCEANLINKS (French National Research Agency ANR)

This project is being undertaken in the context of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science. Led by Marion Maisonobe from UMR Géographie-cités CNRS it is a human geography project that considers scientific relations as a type of international relations that are woven over time, and as witnesses to the political, economic and environmental transformations that have taken place in the world since the end of the 19th century. The marine stations are envisaged as nodal points of a global infrastructure for the production and circulation of knowledge, resilient over the long term, whose structure and dynamics we will study. Three main axes will be considered: 1. LOCALISATION: the logics and localisation effects of marine stations on their development and specialisation patterns; 2. INTERACTIONS: connections and movements between marine stations across borders; 3. KNOWLEDGE: regionalisation and specialisation dynamics associated with ocean knowledge.                                       

The project builds on and continues earlier work in the context of the RSE GEOCOLLAB project exploring connections between marine stations in Scotland and France (see below).

More information and updates can be found on the project website: https://geographie-cites.cnrs.fr/en/oceanlinks-2/ 

Architectures of Collaboration (various funding sources)

In line with the work of the network Architectures of Science, I am exploring the architecture of collaboration in various contexts, including the Francis Crick Institute, the Edinburgh Future Institute, the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin and Institutes of Advanced Studies. I am investigating the history, transformation and present functioning of these institutes, and how ways of working together interact with the built environment and (urban) landscapes. Special attention is given to the material embedding of interaction inside buildings and the permeability of the walls, e.g. openness to publics. Edinburgh is functioning as a playground to develop various approaches to the architecture of collaboration, connecting my work on Curious Edinburgh to new developments as part of Data Driven Innovation, e.g. working on the transformation of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. In addition, I was a member of Writing Urban Places, exploring narrative methods to develop human understanding of communities, their society, and their situatedness and was most recently part of the InFrame Research Culture Catalyst project, Transforming Research: The effects of sharing facilities on cultures and outcomes, funded by the Wellcome Trust.

Curious Edinburgh (various funding sources)

Curious Edinburgh is a website and mobile phone app which tells stories behind the cities many historic buildings and places. Originally developed to make large-scale undergraduate teaching more interactive and ‘bring the classroom into the city’, we started with tours showcasing the importance of Edinburgh's scientific and medical heritage in an innovative way. The project adds a spatial dimension to the history of science by linking ideas, inventions and scientist to physical places in the city of Edinburgh. Thereby it allows scholars to connect their work to specific places that develop through time, and it invites novel historical and sociological analysis of the interaction between the scientific process, its materiality and geography. As the format allows to tell a variety of stories about the city, we now also cover tours on Edinburgh’s international connections and its vibrant local communities, paying attention to diversity, equality and civic action. Content is sourced from a wide variety of research projects across the University of Edinburgh and community archives, bringing diverse knowledge on Edinburgh together in one space, while making it accessible for students, staff as well as Edinburgh's citizens and visitors. Curious Edinburgh won the Tam Dalyell Prize for Excellence in Engaging the Public with Science (2018). See for acknowledgments of many individuals and organisations who contributed to this project our webpage.

Completed Projects

Geographies of Collaboration (RSE Saltire Award)

The GEOCOLLAB research network (with Marion Maisobe & Morgan Meyer) aims to advance our understanding of international scientific collaboration and mobility, with a focus between Scotland and France. The network assembles scholars from the University of Edinburgh and CNRS Paris working at the nexus of quantitative geography and science and technology studies (STS). Based on our previous interactions and current shared research interest in the biosciences (specifically marine biology -focussing on seaweed research and innovation- and genetic engineering focussing on synthetic biology and gene editing), the network will allow us to 1) develop a common vocabulary and methodology to study the (inter)national dissemination and exchange of scientific knowledge and 2) trace the ‘placing’ of scientific fields: examining how practices and discourses of scientific disciplines co-emerge with their geographic modes of organisation. The network has direct policy relevance, building capacity and giving insight in patterns of (inter)national scientific collaboration and the ways in which they may be disrupted or fostered by changes in international relations (e.g. Brexit). GEOCOLLAB is bringing together scholars from Scotland and France who work at the interface between geography, Science and Technology Studies and scientometrics, a combination which will lead to improved understanding of the geography of scientific work and its (inter)national relations.

Marine SCIence Collaborations in Oban, MASCICO (IDEX UGA)

The MASCICO project focuses on the collaboration in marine sciences in Oban, Scotland, particularly on macroalgae research. It investigates how small-town scientific activities can influence large-scale socio-ecological transitions. The project aims to understand collaboration processes, knowledge production, and utilization in marine sciences, emphasizing macroalgae’s potential in addressing socio-ecological challenges like CO2 sequestration. It studies scientific collaboration’s impact on commercial actions and maritime spatial planning in macroalgae aquaculture, contributing to food security and CO2 capture. This project was led by Josselin Tallec from l'Université Grenoble Alpes/University of Brest, in collaboration with Marion Maisonobe (CNRS Paris) and Suzi Billing (SAMS).

EVALUATE project (Erasmus+/British Council)

Developing a Framework for Evaluation of International University Partnerships, the project aims to improve the quality of International Strategic Partnerships between universities through evaluation and mutual learning. The project brings together a range of universities with varying experience in developing and delivering all types of partnerships to collaboratively develop a methodology that can be used to evaluate and continually improve the quality of partnerships that universities and similar organisations are involved in. The project reviews existing models for evaluation in similar settings and develops an evaluation framework within the university setting for International Strategic Partnerships. Traditionally this could involve student and staff mobility, research collaboration, collaborative teaching provision, joint appointments of staff, network development and participation, commercialisation of research and funding relationships for teaching & research. However, there is a drive towards innovation in this area of work so it is important to ensure that models for evaluation can be flexible and adapted to suit new purposes. International Strategic Partnerships are seen as investments that will bring some benefit to the institutions involved, but the evidence-base for this is often lacking. This project will enable institutions to determine how International Strategic Partnerships are performing and highlight areas for development.

See for more information and the handbook: https://edinburgh-global.ed.ac.uk/evaluate-framework 

Partners: University of Edinburgh, University College Dublin, University of Copenhagen, Leiden University, University of Helsinki and University of Sydney.

Coastal knowledge (RSE Young Academy Scotland)

With the marine (social) science group of the Young Academy Scotland we have developed an interactive map exhibition of Scotland’s Coasts. Delivered in collaboration with Granton Hub and Curious Edinburgh, this initiative provides windows into Scottish coastal communities, providing various actors (researchers, artists, community organisations and inhabitants of coastal communities) the possibility to showcase their visual and narrative perspectives on the Scottish coast. See: https://www.youngacademyofscotland.org.uk/coastal-knowledge/ 

Following the life of a research institute: a biography of the Francis Crick (Wellcome Trust seed grant)

Given the prominence of the £700 Million, 93000 m2 Francis Crick Institute, its (inter)national uniqueness, and the availability of British scholars analysing knowledge creation and translation, it seems timely to study this experiment in the organisation of biomedical science as it unfolds. Unsurprisingly, first media analyses are debating the Crick, with proponents seeing its 'bigness' as progress while opponents fear uprooting of current practice. Both positions are unnuanced and not evidence-based, as academic analysis shows not one ‘right’ way to organise science with collaboration being content and context dependent. Consequently, the influence of research institutes on the integrative production of knowledge can still be further explored. This project studies the birth of the Crick Institute and its new research strategy – discovery without boundaries. Key goals are: a) mapping the (spatial) design and initial functioning of the Crick; b) exploring the ways in which it provides new opportunities for interdisciplinary knowledge creation; c) design a longitudinal and reflexive study of a biomedical institute. The project contributes to advancement of knowledge on the functioning of research institutes, while the magnitude of societal investment and its importance for human health adds urgency to this opportunity.

The emergence of systems biology (Wellcome Trust research fellowship)

As a Wellcome research fellow I have been working on the emergence of systems biology as a new field, shedding light on the recent history of the biosciences, and the ways in which different disciplines become reconfigured. Special attention is given to different local and national patterns of emergence, fashions in science policy, and the shaping of international collaboration. The study into the intellectual and social history of systems biology will help us draft the history of new biology and its relation to research policies, funding structures, university transformation, etc. in a way which can inform policy discussions and public understanding of contemporary science. In addition, the interaction between actors and social scientists will be analysed, showing (and improving) the reflexiveness of these developments.

Bio-Objects (COST Action)

Since 2005 I have been involved in the development of the concept of bio-objects, co-founding a network of young researchers which culminated in the European COST action ‘Bio-objects and their Boundaries: Governing Matters at the Intersection of Society, Politics, and Science’ (2010-2014). I have more recently employed this approach to investigate the making of bio-printed organs in collaboration with Gill Haddow and scientists Will Shu and Alan Faulkner-Jones and at the moment looking at choreographies of research and innovation in algae/seaweed in Scotland, also using a bio-objects lense.

PhD topics and programmes

Find out more about the programmes that I am involved with:

• PhD in Science and Technology Studies
• MSc (R) Science and Technology Studies

Current PhD Candidates

*Alfie Hoar ''The history of dissent in cosmology' (with Rhodri Leng and Miguel Garcia Sancho)

*Connor Dunwoody 'Beyond Earth: Planning for the Curation and Inclusion of Art, Culture, and Heritage in the Second Space Race' (with Matjaz Vidmar and Anna Szolucha, Jagiellonian University)

*Robert Lynn 'Open Engineering' Spaceport Sustainability' (with Matjaz Vidmar)

*Marta Sienkiewicz 'New evaluative tools as devices on the academic market(s)' (based at CWTS with Thomas Franssen, Sarah de Rijcke and Andrew Millar)

Completed dissertations

*Mayline Strouk 'Free as a bird? Geography of seabird ornithologists' mobilities to the field in the Anthropocene' (with Rob Smith, Thomas Franssen and Sarah de Rijcke, CWTS)

*Louis Volkmer 'Transferring Scientific Objects: unpacking the intellectual ownership of scientific apparatus transferred from universities to museums' (with Dominic Berry and Tacye Phillipson & Rebekah Higgitt, National Museum of Scotland)

*Kate Bowell 'Science on display: the historical relationships between exhibit label texts, scientific objects, and technologies at National Museums Scotland' (with Lawrence Dritsas and Tacye Phillipson & Rebekah Higgitt, National Museum of Scotland)

*Fiona Coyle 'Mitigating Modification: Understanding the Societal and Ethical Implications of the Regulation of New and Emerging Biomedical Technologies in the UK Context 2006-2018' (with Gill Haddow)

*Rodrigo Liscovsky Barrera 'Internationalisation Dynamics in Contemporary South American Life Sciences. The Case of Zebrafish' (with Tod Van Gunten & Alfredo Yegros, CWTS)

*Rosalind Attenborough 'Finding virtue in open science? Biological scientists' constructions of openness in historical, advocacy and policy contexts' (with James Mittra)

*Matjaz Vidmar 'UK/Scottish Space Sector and Innovation' (with Alessandro Rosiello & Robin Williams)

Undergraduate Teaching and Postgraduate Teaching

I am teaching on the following courses: History of Science; Investigating Science in Society; Technology in Society; Science, Nature and Environment; Cases in sustainable development; Social Dimensions of Systems and Synthetic Biology; dissertations MSc SaTiS and MSc BIG. 

Other Teaching Activities

I have previously taught in the STS Master programme of the Department of Social Studies of Science (University of Vienna), the History of Science, Technology and Medicine programme (University of Manchester), and the Arts and Sciences programme, the European Studies programme and the European Society, Science and Technology (ESST) Master programme of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (Maastricht University).