Rasmus Lema is Associate Professor with dual affiliations at UNU-MERIT and Maastricht University. He also holds an affiliation as Visiting Professor (Global Excellence and Stature) at the University of Johannesburg.
He holds a PhD from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) at the University of Sussex. His areas of specialisation are sustainable industrialisation, technological learning and green transformations. He has a strong track record in leading international research projects. As a frequent adviser to development and STI agencies he is known for connecting original research to policy. He currently serves as vice-president of the for the Global Network for Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence Building Systems (Globelics) and is the editor-in-chief of the journal Innovation and Development.