Professor of Theoretical Sociology at the University of Groningen, Department of Sociology. I am the Scientific Director of the Interdisciplinary Research and Training Center SCOOP: Sustainable Cooperation, Coordinating Principal Investigator of SOCION: Social Cohesion - Towards a New Fabric of Society, and national coordinator of the sectorplan theme Societal Transitions and Behavioral Change. I also serve as Board member of the Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS). 

My research focuses on problems of sustainable cooperation and how to prevent and solve them. My areas of expertise are the sociology of organizations, economic sociology, social network analysis, and social theory.

I currently teach mainly in the Research Master Behavioral and Social Sciences of the Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the University of Groningen and in the Transdisciplinary PhD-Training Program Sustainable Cooperation (SCOOP).

• Best Book Award 2014
  American Sociological Association, Rationality and Society Section
  
• Best Book Award 2013
  Outstanding Academic Title, Choice Magazine
  
• Best Conference Paper Award 2012
  Latin American and European Meeting on Organization Studies
  
• Best Journal Paper Award 2012
  Group and Organization Management 
  
• Best Student Paper Award 2011
  International Network for Social Network Analysis
  
• Best Conference Paper Award 2005
  Academy of Management, Organization Development and Change Division
  
• Best Conference Paper Award 2004
  Irish Academy of Management, Strategic Management Track
  
• Best Dissertation Award 2000
  SNS-Bank and University of Groningen
  
• Best Article Selection 2000
  Handboek Interne Organisatie
  
  

• European Academy of Sociology (EAS)
  Elected member since 2010
• Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies (NIAS)
  Fellow 2001-2002
  Member of the Selection Committee (since 2006)

• Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome (KNIR, Italy)
  Visiting professor KNIR Visiting Professorship Program (May-July, 2022)
• Universita della Svizzera Italiana (USI Lugano, Zwitserland)
  Guest professor in the Humanitarian Management and Logistics Executive Master Program (2009-2014)
• Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich, Zwitserland)
  Guest professor at the Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences (2008-2009)
• Cornell University
  Visiting Lecturer at the Department of Sociology (1998)

• Social Cohesion - Towards a New Fabric of Society (SOCION)
  Main Applicant.
  Co-Applicants: Naomi Ellemers, Lisa Herzog, Helga de Valk, Martin van Hees, Russell Spears, Elise van Nederveen
  Amount: 30.6 MEuro
  From: NWO (SUMMIT Grant SUMMIT.1.036)
  Year: 2024

• Teaching Transdisciplinarity: The TETRA-Initiative
  Main Applicant.
  Co-Applicants: Russell Spears, Ellen Janssen.
  Amount: ca. 350.000 Euro (Assistant Professor position,1 fte, four years)
  From: Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of Groningen (Teaching Innovation Fund)
  Year: 2017

• Jongeren in een veerkrachtige samenleving. Naar nieuwe arrangementen voor inclusiviteit en participatie (JOIN)
  Member core team.
  Main Applicant: Bas van Bavel.
  Amount: 2.500.000 Euro
  From: NWO (Startimpuls National Science Agenda, Route Veerkrachtige en Zinvolle Samenlevingen)
  Year: 2017

• Sustainable Cooperation - Roadmaps to Resilient Societies (SCOOP)
  Main Applicant.
  Co-Applicants: Naomi Ellemers, Russell Spears, Bas van Bavel, Martin van Hees, Tanja van der Lippe
  Amount: 18.800.000 Euro
  From: NWO (Gravitation Grant 024.003.025)
  Year: 2017

• Sustainable Labor Market Integration of First Generation Migrant Groups
  Co-Applicant.
  Main Applicants: Nina Hansen, Liesbet Heyse
  Amount: ca. 220.000 Euro (4-year PhD-position)
  From: Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of Groningen
  Year: 2017

• Resilience at a Crossroads: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Coping with Social Devaluation
  Co-Applicant
  Other Co-Applicants: Russell Spears, Monicque Lorist, Jolien van Breen
  Amount: ca. 150.000 Euro (2 year Postdoc position)
  From: Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of Groningen
  Year: 2017

• Cross-border network governance for sustainable training in health care
  Co-Applicant.
  Other Co-Applicants: Liesbet Heyse, Francesca Giardini
  Amount: ca. 110.000 Euro (50% of 4 year PhD-position)
  From: NetwerkZon
  Year: 2017
  

• Urban Collective Living Arrangements – Golden Key to Sustainable Communities?
  Main Applicant.
  Co-Applicant: Louisa Firnenburg
  Amount: ca. 200.000 Euro (4 year bursary PhD-position)
  From: PhD-fund, Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of Groningen
  Year: 2017

• Informal Social Networks and Organizational Inclusion: The Invisible Minority’s Dilemma
  Main Applicant.
  Co-Applicants: Sabine Otten, Julian Rengers
  Amount: ca. 200.000 (4 year bursary PhD-position)
  From: PhD-fund, Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of Groningen
  Year: 2017

• Sustainable Collaborative Networks. Design, Dynamics, and Decay of Cooperation in a Multilevel Organizational Field
  Co-Applicant
  Other Co-Applicant: Liesbet Heyse
  Amount: ca. 110.000 Euro (50% of 4 year PhD-position)
  From: NetwerkZon
  Year: 2016
  

• Warsaw School of Data Analysis
  Co-Applicant.
  Main Applicant: Michal Bojanowski 
  Amount: 510.000 Euro
  From: European Social Fund
  Year: 2014

• Good Governance and Corruption of Public Leaders in Indonesia
  Co-Applicant.
  Other Co-Applicant: Mala Sondang Silitonga
  Amount: ca. 260.000 Euro (4 year PhD-position with tuition)
  From: World Bank Spirit Program, Bappenas Indonesia
  Year: 2013

• Organizational Governance and Sustainable Health Care in Indonesia
  Co-Applicant.
  Other Co-Applicant: Suwatin Miharti
  Amount: ca. 260.000 Euro (4 year PhD-position with tuition)
  From: World Bank Spirit Program, Bappenas Indonesia
  Year: 2013

• The Education Divide in Indonesia: Determinants of Unequal Access to and Quality of Education
  Co-Applicant. 
  Other Co-Applicant: Tatang Muttaqin
  Amount: ca. 260.000 Euro (4 year PhD-position with tuition)
  From: World Bank Spirit Program, Bappenas Indonesia
  Year: 2012

• Gossip and the Management of Reputation
  Co-Applicant.
  Other Co-Applicant: Francesca Giardini
  Amount: 13.000 Euro
  Amount: NIAS-Lorentz Program
  Year: 2012

• Self-Improvement Interventions in Organizations
  Co-Applicant.
  Other Co-Applicant: Gabriël Anthonio
  Amount: 150.000 Euro
  From: FranklinCovey bv and Stenden University of Applied Science
  Year: 2010

• Healthy Aging: Population and Society (HAPS)
  Co-Applicant.
  Other Co-Applicants: Inge Hutter and Ronald Stolk
  Amount: 4.200.000 Euro
  From: Board of the University of Groningen
  Year: 2009

• Graduate Program
  Main Applicant.
  Co-Applicant: Werner Raub
  Amount: 800.000 Euro
  From: NWO
  Year: 2009

• Gendered Humanitarian Careers
  Co-Applicant.
  Other Co-Applicants: Liesbet Heyse and Melinda Mills
  Amount: 45.000 Euro
  From: Board of the University of Groningen
  Year: 2007

• Handbook of Rational Choice Social Research
  Main Applicant.
  Co-Applicants: Tom Snijders and Victor Nee
  Amount: 100.000 Dollar
  From: Russell Sage Foundation, New York
  Year: 2006

• Network Dynamics in Organizations
  Main Applicant.
  Amount: 100.000 Euro (Postdoc Position, 1 fte, 4 years)
  From: Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Strategic Fund
  Year: 2006

• Reorganizations and Workplace Transformations in the Netherlands
  Main Applicant.
  Amount: 45.000 Euro
  From: NWO (Replacement Grant 400-05-704)
  Year: 2006

• Solidarity at work and informal networks within semi-virtual teams
  Main Applicant.
  Amount: 51.000 Euro
  From: NWO (MES 014-43-722)
  Year: 2003

• Governance by Reorganization
  Main Applicant.
  Amount: 1.500.000 Hfl (750.000 Euro)
  From: NWO (VIDI-Scheme 016.005.052)
  Year: 2000

• Time Competition, Flexible Contracts, and Intrahousehold Negotiation
  Main Applicant.
  Co-Applicants: Tanja van der Lippe and Arie Glebbeek (Aandachtsgebied Time Competition)
  Amount: 225.000 Hfl (112.500 Euro)
  From: NWO (490-24-060-C)
  Year: 2006

• Rationality and Society
  Member of the Editorial Board (since 2023)
• International Sociology
  Member of the Editorial Board (since 2004)
• Social Network Analysis and Mining
  Associate Editor (2011-2021)
  
• Sage Studies in International Sociology
  Member of the Editorial Board (2003-2006)
  
• Netherlands Journal of Social Sciences
  Member of the Editorial Board (2003-2004)

Updated May, 2024

Download CV (PDF)

RAFAEL WITTEK
Curriculum Vitae

May 2024

University of Groningen • Department of Sociology
Grote Rozenstraat 31, 9712 TG Groningen, The Netherlands
 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. • Work +31 50 3636282 • www.rafaelwittek.eu

Rafael Wittek holds a PhD (cum laude) in Behavioral and Social Sciences (University of Groningen, 1999), and an M.A. (cum laude) in Sociology and Cultural Anthropology (University of Tübingen, 1991). Since 2001, he is a full professor of Theoretical Sociology at the Department of Sociology (University of Groningen), which he chaired until 2014. He held teaching appointments at Cornell University (U.S.A.), the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich (Switzerland), the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg (Germany), and the Università della Svizzera Italiana (Lugano, Switzerland). 

He is the Scientific Director and principle investigator of the trans-disciplinary and inter-university research and training program Sustainable Cooperation – Roadmaps to Resilient Societies (SCOOP). In 2017 this initiative was awarded a ten year grant (18.8 M€) in the context of the Dutch government’s prestigious Gravitation Program.

Rafael Wittek’s research interests are in the fields of cooperation science, organization studies, economic sociology and social network research. He is an elected member of the European Academy of Sociology (EAS), has successfully supervised 18 PhD students and is involved in 8 ongoing PhD projects.

He has (co-)authored more than 100 scientific articles and book chapters, and (co-)edited four Handbooks. Recent contributions appeared in Network Science, European Societies, Disasters, and Public Administration Review. His publications received multiple awards.