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Søren Lund Frand­sen

Postdoc

Subjects
Organisation Methodology Climate Politics Sociology The Nordic countries

Primary research areas

How private found­a­tions shape or­gan­iz­a­tions
My re­search ex­plores how private found­a­tions shape the or­gan­iz­a­tions they sup­port. Found­a­tions rarely act as neut­ral fun­ders: their grant designs, re­port­ing re­quire­ments, and stra­tegic pri­or­it­ies in­flu­ence what or­gan­iz­a­tions do, how they define suc­cess, and even how they see them­selves. By tra­cing how fund­ing streams travel into every­day prac­tices - hir­ing de­cisions, eval­u­ation sys­tems, col­lab­or­a­tions - I show how phil­an­thropy be­comes an or­gan­iz­a­tion­al force. This work high­lights both sides of the story: found­a­tions can cata­lyze in­nov­a­tion and sus­tain long-term ca­pa­city, but they can also im­pose nar­row met­rics or short-term agen­das. Un­der­stand­ing these dy­nam­ics helps ex­plain the hid­den power of phil­an­thropy in or­gan­iz­a­tion­al life.
Ex­perts and ex­pert­ise in the green trans­ition
The green trans­ition is not just about new tech­no­lo­gies - it is about who gets to define solu­tions. From sci­ent­ists and en­gin­eers to con­sult­ants, CEOs, and act­iv­ists, ex­perts shape what counts as “green” and de­cide which path­ways so­ci­et­ies pur­sue. This re­search ex­plores how ex­pert net­works in­flu­ence cli­mate policy, in­dus­tri­al de­car­bon­iz­a­tion, and every­day prac­tices, ask­ing: Who are the green trans­ition ex­perts, how do they gain au­thor­ity, and whose know­ledge is left out? By study­ing ex­pert­ise as con­tested and dy­nam­ic, I aim to re­veal how ex­perts shape cli­mate win­ners and losers
Pro­fes­sions and ex­pert­ise in or­gan­iz­a­tions

Or­gan­iz­ing Ex­pert­ise, Or­gan­iz­ing So­ci­ety

My research examines how expertise is organized and politicized across society. I study how professional networks, foundations, and universities shape knowledge and influence decision-making in areas such as climate politics, industrial policy, and the governance of science. 

By combining quantitative tools like social network and sequence analysis with qualitative methods such as interviews and document analysis, I map how expert advice is assembled and whose voices count. This sheds light on how organizations and policymakers can make knowledge production more transparent, inclusive, and effective. 

I am motivated by the broader challenge of understanding the power of expertise in society. My ambition is to contribute to more democratic and accountable forms of knowledge governance - whether in tackling the climate crisis, designing public policy, or rethinking the role of universities and foundations in shaping the future. 

Publications

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23 October 2025

On the Ground

The Microfoundations of Green Industrial Policy

Sø­ren Lund Frand­sen, Postdoc

Go to publication

2025

How and Why Organizations Help Uphold, or Disrupt, Professional Ethics

Sø­ren Lund Frand­sen, Postdoc

Jane Bjørn Ve­del, Associate Professor

Go to publication

November 2024

Who Are the Green Transition Experts?

Towards a New Research Agenda on Climate Change Knowledge

Sø­ren Lund Frand­sen, Postdoc

Ja­cob Has­sel­balch, Associate Professor

Go to publication

Recent research projects

The im­plic­a­tions of large-scale grants for the uni­ver­sity as an in­sti­tu­tion­al­ized or­gan­iz­a­tion

Ex­plores how large-scale grants re­shape uni­ver­sit­ies as or­gan­iz­a­tions, in­flu­en­cing their pri­or­it­ies, gov­ernance, and role in so­ci­ety.

Outside activities

2025 , -

No out­side activ­it­ies to re­port