Ismael Ràfols

I am a research fellow at Ingenio (CSIC-UPV, València), visiting professor at the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) of Leiden University and associate faculty at SPRU (Univ. Sussex, Brighton), where I worked from 2004 to 2012. I investigate how to make a more plural and inclusive use of S&T indicators for informing evaluation, funding and research strategies. I am one of the members of the EC Expert Group on Indicators for Researchers' Engagement with Open Science and its Impact.

My two main research topics are:
1) Inclusive metrics: The increasing use of indicators in research policy may undermine fields, regions or topics that a poorly described by current research metrics. I study how indicators are biased and the effects of biases, in issues such as interdisciplinary research, local knowledge and agriculture (rice) or in some countries. I am also working in mixed-methods to capture the societal contributions of research, e.g. in translational research.

2) Research portfolios: There is a growing perception of a misalignment between science ‘supply’ and societal ‘needs’. In order to facilitate deliberation on research prioritization, I am developing methods to interrogate the research landscapes or portfolios for grand challenges such as bird flu or obesity, the knowledge base of funding agencies and organisations such as pharmaceutical firms.

I received an MSc in Science and Technology Policy from SPRU (Sussex), a BSc in Physics from the Univ. Barcelona, a PhD in biophysics from Tohoku University (Sendai, Japan) and was a postdoc in nanobiotechnology at Cornell University in 2001. In between academic positions, I have worked on international cooperation in Oxfam (1994) and the City Council of Barcelona (2003-04).