Maastricht University Science, Technology and Society Studies (MUSTS)

The Maastricht University – Science, Technology and Society Studies (MUSTS) research programme studies the relations among science, technology and society, focusing on Cultures of Research and Innovation. We are interested in settings that are infused with new knowledge, instruments, artefacts, actors, and skills—whether in the laboratory, the hospital, the workshop, the concert hall, or regulatory agencies.

We study such cultures of research and innovation in a radically interdisciplinary way. The classic disciplines of sociology, anthropology, history and philosophy play a constituting role. Cultural themes are historicized; historical questions are shown to have normative dimensions; and ethical issues are studied as social phenomena. Analysis typically moves among different levels (from micro-level studies of local practices to macro-level questions of governance, policy and morality). MUSTS research is adventurous in exploring theoretical and empirical fault lines, but it is always rigorous in its methodological approach, theoretical grounding, and scholarly justifications.

Director: Prof. Cyrus Mody

View recent MUSTS publications

Main research themes

MUSTS studies the relations between science, technology and society, focusing in particular on Cultures of Research and Innovation.

Research themes:

Practices of Collaborative Research and Innovation
Networks of Knowledge Production and Consumption
Embodied Expertise in Art, Science and Medicine

Practices of Collaborative Research and Innovation

Research and innovation have never been solitary efforts, but instead have long required complex constellations of actors and institutions to work together. In this sub-theme we examine how these collaborations are organized to produce and adapt research (“know-what”) and innovation (“know-how”).

For more information about this theme, please visit the research themes webpage.

Networks of Knowledge Production and Consumption

Scientific theories rely on networks of humans, practices and things in order to gain traction. In line with the internationalist and universalist ambitions of late-modern science, these networks increasingly span the globe.

For more information about this theme, please visit the research themes webpage.

Embodied Expertise in Art, Science and Medicine

Developing expertise in domains such as art, music, science, engineering and medicine, whether as an individual or a group, has always been an embodied process of learning amidst technologies.

For more information about this theme, please visit the research themes webpage.

News

Researchers

Michiel Bron awarded Dirk Jacob Veegens Prize

The prize particularly honours work that, from a historical perspective, contributes to a deeper understanding of issues relevant to contemporary society. Michiel's PhD research is about “The Petro-Atom: A Century of Ubiquitous Oil Involvement in Nuclear Energy.”

Researchers

Interdisciplinary team receives funding for DAZM Project

Pilots will evaluate an open-source collaboration platform based on LaSuite, a unified collaboration platform built for public employees, as a potential alternative to existing digital workplace solutions.

Researchers

Three UM researchers selected for European AI in Science Working Groups

AISWG members will help develop a future Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda (SRIA) and advance AI-driven scientific discovery.

Featured
Researchers

How wild are “wild animals” still in the time of zoos, nature reserves and breeding programmes?

Is an elephant in Artis Zoo just as “wild” as an elephant on the African savannah? What place do animals have in a world that is increasingly shaped by humans? Why does the presence of a few wolves in the Netherlands trigger so many negative emotions, while Dutch people donate money en masse to protect...

Tasmanian maker

Anna Harris, recently inaugurated professor of Anthropology and Medicine, has travelled a long way—from medical training on the other side of the world to research that explores how the senses and material creativity shape medical practice.