Olof Hallonsten

My research is focused on two broad subject fields: Politics and organization of large scientific facilities, especially European collaborative big science and accelerator laboratories for materials science research; and governance of scientific organizations, especially dynamics of research groups and politics of academic research.

I currently work with three main projects: Studies of the dynamics and evolution of research groups in newcomer academic institutions in Sweden, within the Center for Knowledge Governance Studies funded by the Knowledge Foundation (KK-stiftelsen); studies of the ongoing political process to establish the large research facilities ESS and MAX IV in Lund, within the ESS theme at the Pufendorf Institute at Lund University; and studies of institutional renewal of large scientific facilities in the United States and Germany within the project Mechanisms of institutional renewal – comparison of the research systems in the United States and Germany at the Department of Sociology II, University of Bamberg, Germany. I am also affiliated with the department of Sociology at the University of Gothenburg, where I am part of a project studying the development of materials science as a research field in Sweden.

Besides academic work, I am frequently engaged as an expert in preparatory work for the localization of the research facilities ESS and MAX IV in Lund, most recently by the Regional Council and the consultancy firm Oxford Research.

• Personal webpage
• Weblog (in Swedish) about the politics around ESS and MAX IV
• The Knowledge Foundation (KK-stiftelsen)
• Department of Sociology II, University of Bamberg
• Oxford Research

• Hallonsten, Olof (2011). “Continuity and change in the politics of European scientific collaboration.” Journal of Contemporary European Research forthcoming.
• Hallonsten, Olof (2011). “Growing Big Science in a Small Country: MAX-lab and the Swedish Research Policy System.” Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences 41(2): 179-215.
• Hallonsten, Olof (2011). “A classic laboratory study in science policy clothing” (book review). Science and Public Policy 38(1): 79-80.
• Hallonsten, Olof, Holmberg, Daniel & Mats Benner (2010) "The scientists in the periphery: Localized conditions for research", paper presented at the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) Annual Meeting, Tokyo 26 August 2010.
• Hallonsten, Olof (2009). Small Science on Big Machines. Politics and practices of synchrotron radiation laboratories. Dissertation, June 2009.
• Hallonsten, Olof & Mats Benner (2009). “Large-scale International Facilities within the Organization: Max-lab within Lund University” (with Mats Benner). Chapter in M. McKelvey and M. Holmén (eds) Learning to compete in European Universities: From Social Institution to Knowledge Business. Edward Elgar 2009.
• Hallonsten, Olof (2007). “Kampen på kunskapsmarknaden – om plagiat bland högskolestudenter.” (“The battle on the knowledge market – plagiarism among college students.”) Chapter in W. Agrell (ed) Forskningens Gråzoner (The grey zones of research). Carlssons.
• Hallonsten, Olof (2004). “Impacts of Large-Scale Research Facilities – A Socio-Economic Analysis.” (with Mats Benner and Gustav Holmberg). RPI Discussion paper 1/2004.