Explore our knowledge

Søren Lund Frand­sen

Assistant Professor

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. 

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