Philipp Brandt

bio

Philipp Brandt studies emerging professions, expert work and their effects in historical, economic and technological settings. His main project analyzes the construction of a professional “data scientist” identity in New York City’s tech community.
In a new project, he shifts focus to the dying profession of yellow cab drivers. Philipp combines computational methods with qualitative field observations to address these issues.

In 2023, Philipp Brandt was awarded a starting grant from the European Research Council on the Returns to work in occupational, relational, and corporate settings (2023-2028) project. Find out more

His personal research website

publications

• Brandt, P. and Timmermans, S. (2021) Abductive logic of inquiry for quantitative research in the digital age. Sociological Science. 8, pp. 191-210. https://hal-sciencespo.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-03266002
• Dorschel, R. and Brandt, P. (2021) Professionalization via ambiguity: the discursive construction of data scientists in higher education and the labor market. Zeitschrift für https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03405863
• Brandt, P., Schrank, A and Whitford, J. (2018) Brokerage and Boots on the Ground: Complements or Substitutes in the Manufacturing Extension Partnerships? Economic Development Quarterly, 32(4), pp. 288-299. https://hal-sciencespo.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03129804
• Hoffman, M. A., Cointet, J. P., Brandt, P., Key, N., & Bearman, P. (2018) The (Protestant) Bible, the (printed) sermon, and the word(s): The semantic structure of the Conformist and Dissenting Bible, 1660–1780. Poetics. 68, pp. 89-103. https://hal-sciencespo.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02005573
• Brandt, P. and Whitford, J. (2017) Fixing network failures? The contested case of the American Manufacturing Extension Partnership. Socio-Economic Review, 15 (2), pp. 331-357. https://hal-sciencespo.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03134423

See all publications

teaching activities 

Sciences Po, Campus Nancy

Data Science for the social good (semester 2020)

Expert work in the digital age (semester 2020)

University of Mannheim, Germany: BA Seminars

• Introduction to the Sociology of Professions and Science (Spring 2019; Spring 2018; Spring 2017)
• Introduction to Economic Sociology (Fall 2018; Spring 2018; Fall 2017; Fall 2016)*
• Empirical Research Practicum (Fall 2018)
• Organizational Innovation (Spring 2016)
• Hacking the Meso-Level (Computational Social Science Introduction; March 2014)

University of Mannheim, Germany : MA Seminars

• Python Programming for Social Sciences (February 2018)
• Sociology of Professions and Science (Fall 2018; Fall 2016)
• Topics in Economic Sociology (Spring 2017)

Columbia University, New York, USA

• Organizing Innovation - Teaching assistant; instructor: David Stark (Fall 2015)
• Senior Thesis Seminar - Teaching assistant; instructor: Tom DiPrete (2013 - 2014)

other activities 

Participation

American Sociological Association; European Sociological Association; Akademie für Soziologie (AS); European Group of Organizational Studies; Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics; Center of Organizational Innovation, Columbia University (2010-2016)

Grants

2018
“Immigrants’ career changes in German organizations” Mannheimer Zentrum für Europäische Sozialforschung (seed grant; Principal investigator)

2017
“Chains of opportunity in politics: An organizational analysis of politicians’ careers in the German Bundestag since 1949” Mannheimer Zentrum für Europäische Sozialforschung (seed grant; Co-Pi with Henning Hillmann)

Awards & Honors

2019
Sociology and political sciences student teaching award, University of Mannheim

2010-2015
Paul F. Lazersfeld Fellow, Sociology, Columbia University, New York, USA

2009-2010
President’s List, Jacobs University, Bremen, Germany

education

2016
Ph.D., Sociology, Columbia University, New York (USA)
Dissertation: “Mechanisms of Emergence in the Data Science Profession”
Committee: Peter Bearman (advisor), Josh Whitford, David Stark, Catherine Turco (MIT), Gil Eyal (chair)

2014
M.Phil., Sociology

2012
M.A., Sociology

2010
B.A., Jacobs University Bremen (Allemagne).
Integrated Social Sciences;
Honors: President’s List
Advisor: Christofer Edling