Dr. Joern Hoppmann

Dr. Jörn Hoppmann is a senior researcher in the Group for Sustainability and Technology at the Department of Management, Technology, and Economics of ETH Zurich (Switzerland). Jörn's research centers on strategic management of technological innovation and organizational change in the energy sector. A focus of his work has been on investigating the drivers and dynamics of innovation for clean energy technologies, especially in the solar photovoltaic industry. Moreover, he is currently studying how the trend towards distributed electricity generation affects the strategies of electric utilities and technology providers in the energy sector.

Jörn holds a PhD in Management and Economics from ETH Zurich (Switzerland) as well as a diploma (eq., to MSc) in Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration from the Braunschweig University of Technology (Germany). As part of his studies, Jörn spent time at the University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, Massachusetts). At MIT, he conducted research on innovation and organizational learning at the Engineering Systems Division (ESD). Prior to starting his PhD, Jörn worked as a research associate at the Forum for Corporate Sustainability Management of IMD Business School (Lausanne, Switzerland) where he focused on investigating corporate strategies for climate change. In 2012/2013, Joern held a position as a research fellow and later as an associate at the Energy Technology Innovation Policy group of Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts). During his time at Harvard, he worked on issues related to innovation in clean energy technologies, particularly focusing on organizational strategies and learning in the solar photovoltaic industry.

Jörn gained practical experience during internships with Porsche Consulting (Stuttgart, Germany) and The Boston Consulting Group (Frankfurt, Germany). His research has been supported through scholarships from several institutions including the German National Academic Foundation, the Swiss National Science Foundation, the German Academic Exchange Service and the Dr.-Jürgen-Ulderup-Stiftung.