Mathijs de Vaan

Contact

md2999@columbia.edu

Research

Mathijs de Vaan is a PhD candidate in sociology at Columbia University, and a Fellow at INCITE. In his dissertation research he studies social networks in the context of (scientific) debates about the risks associated with prescription drugs. In particular, he aims to understand how claims about the risks associated with prescription drugs are constructed and evaluated, and how regulatory action moderates these processes. By employing a variety of quantitative methods and by integrating multiple detailed, and historical data sets, his work identifies the mechanisms through which claims about the safety of prescription drugs are transformed into widely held beliefs. Mathijs holds a MS in Economics and a PhD in Geography from Utrecht University.