Jun.-Prof. Dr.
Research interests: 
Communities (of practice), Crisis, Economic Geography, Innovation, Knowledge practices, Labour Geography, New Places for Work
Biography
Verena Brinks is junior professor for “geography of social media and digital cultures” at the University of Mainz since September 2019. Her disciplinary background is mainly in economic geography. From May 2012 to August 2019, Verena Brinks worked as a research associate (doctoral student and post-doc) at the Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space in Erkner (near Berlin). She obtained a doctoral degree from the Freie Universität Berlin in 2016. In her dissertation she analyzed processes of user innovation and intensively dealt with “communities” (particularly with the concept of “communities of practice”). As a further research topic, Verena Brinks works on new spatial settings for work and creativity which emerged as a consequence of digital practices and technologies (such as coworking spaces, Fab Labs etc.). In 2012 she obtained her diploma in geography (minor subjects: sociology, political science) from the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster with a thesis about “coworking spaces” as new places “between digitalization and re-localization”. In the last years, Verena Brinks extended her research focus towards the analysis of “crises”. She is particularly interested in the role of experts and the complex time-spatial dynamics of crisis management. She is experienced in qualitative research methods and process-based approaches (such as “innovation biographies”). In 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 she also taught at the Freie Universität Berlin.
Journal Papers (peer-reviewed)
Schmidt, S., Brinks, V. & Ibert, O. (2024). Placing career resilience: Collaborative workspaces as situated resources for adaptation and adaptability. Progress in Economic Geography 2: 100004.
Brinks, V. & Ibert, O. (2023). Experts in crisis: The wide spectrum of advisors for coping with extreme events. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 93: 103696.
Brinks, V. (2022). Fluid objects? An attempt to conceptualise the global rise of "coworking spaces". Area, 54 (3), 435-442.
Brinks, V. (2021). Die Verortung digitaler Arbeit: Coworking Spaces. Geographische Rundschau (GR Plus), H.1/2-2021, 48-53.
Ibert, O. (2021). From omniscient narrator to involved participants: Places and spaces "activated" in the EHEC O104:H4 crisis 2011. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 29(3), 321-329.
Brinks, V. & Ibert, O. (2020). From corona virus to corona crisis: The value of an analytical and geographical understanding of crisis. Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, 111(3), 275-287.
Brinks, V. (2020). Fun or frustration? How emotions shape user innovation processes. Emotion, Space and Society, 34, 1-7.
Brinks, V. (2019). ‘And Since I Knew About the Possibilities There …’: The Role of Open Creative Labs in User Innovation Processes. Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, 110(4), 381-394.
Schmidt, S., Müller, F. C., Ibert, O. & Brinks, V. (2018). Open Region: Creating and Exploiting Opportunities for Innovation at the Regional Scale. European Urban and Regional Studies, 25(2), 187-205.
Brinks, V., Ibert, O., Müller, F. C. & Schmidt, S. (2018). From Ignorance to Innovation: Serendipitous and Purposeful Mobility in Creative Processes - The Cases of Biotechnology, Legal Services and Board Games. Environment and Planning A, 50(8), 1742-1763.
Schmidt, S. & Brinks, V. (2017). Open Creative Labs: Spatial Settings at the Intersection of Communities and Organizations. Creativity and Innovation Management, 26(3), 291–299.
Brinks, V. (2016). Situated Affect and Collective Meaning: A Community Perspective on Processes of Value Creation and Commercialization in Enthusiast-Driven Fields. Environment and Planning A, 48(6), 1152-1169.
Brinks, V. & Ibert, O. (2015). Mushrooming Entrepreneurship: The Dynamic Geography of Enthusiast-Driven Innovation. Geoforum, 65, 363-373.
Schmidt, S., Brinks, V. & Brinkhoff, S. (2014). Innovation and Creativity Labs in Berlin: Organizing Temporary Spatial Configurations for Innovations. Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftsgeographie, 58(4), 232-247.
Brinks, V. (2012). Netzwerke(n) und Nestwärme im Coworking Space - Arbeiten zwischen Digitalisierung und Re-Lokalisierung. Geographische Zeitschrift, 100(3), 129-145.
Contribution to Anthology
Brinks, V. & Zademach, H.-M. (2023). Krisen. In: Suwala, L. (Hg.): Schlüsselbegriffe der Wirtschaftsgeographie. Stuttgart, 338-350.
Brinks, V. & Ibert, O. (2020). Zur Räumlichkeit von Krisen: Relationalität, Territorialität, Skalarität und Topologien. In: Bösch, F., Deitelhoff, N. & Kroll, S. (eds.): Handbuch Krisenforschung. Wiesbaden, pp. 41-57.
Brinks, V. & Ibert, O. (2020). Krisenberatung. Sachliche und prozessuale Expertise in Krisen. In: Bösch, F., Deitelhoff, N. & Kroll, S. (eds.): Handbuch Krisenforschung. Wiesbaden, pp. 249-265.
Working Papers / Conference Papers
Brinks, V., Ibert, O. & Wendland, A. V. (2017). Beratung unter Stress: Experten in und für Krisen. (Working Paper / Leibniz-Forschungsverbund "Krisen einer globalisierten Welt"; Nr. 2). Frankfurt am Main: Leibniz-Forschungsverbund "Krisen einer globalisierten Welt".
Müller, F. C., Brinks, V., Ibert, O. & Schmidt, S. (2015). Open Region: Leitbild für eine regionale Innovationspolitik der Schaffung und Nutzung von Gelegenheiten. (Working Paper / Leibniz-Institut für Regionalentwicklung und Strukturplanung; Nr. 53). Erkner: Leibniz-Institut für Regionalentwicklung und Strukturplanung.
Brinks, V. & Schmidt, S. (2015). Global Knowledge Communities in Temporary Spaces. Beitrag auf Workshop „Transience and permanence in urban development”, Sheffield (UK).
Transfer Publications / Contributions to Blogs
Ibert, O., Brinks, V. & Harmsen, T. (2022). Krisen - In Raum und Zeit. Nachrichten der ARL 3(2021), 8-11.
Ibert, O., Harmsen, T. & Brinks, V. (2021). Gefragt in der Krise. Gut beraten unter Ausnahmebedingungen. (Policy Paper 4/2021, Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space). Erkner: Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space.
Brinks, V. & Ibert, O. (2020). Beraten und entscheiden in einer "Transboundary Crisis". Contribution to the blog series "Corona Crises" of the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt.
Ibert, O., Brinks, V. & Schmidt, S. (2018). Do It! Partizipation und Innovation durch "Machen" in Open Creative Labs: Politische Gestaltungsaufgaben und Förderoptionen. (Policy Paper / Leibniz-Institut für Raumbezogene Sozialforschung). Erkner: Leibniz-Institut für Raumbezogene Sozialforschung.
Ibert, O., Brinks, V. & Schmidt, S. (2018). Open Creative Labs in the Urban Context: Why do they Proliferate? Blogbeitrag Manchester Urban Institute Blog.
Ibert, O., Brinks, V., Müller, F. C. & Schmidt, S. (2017). Offene Region: Regionale Gelegenheiten zur Innovation schaffen und nutzen. Unternehmen Region, 2(2017), 31-33.
Selection
2023
"Lay experts": Geographies of digitally mediated expertise in times of "crisis". Workshop/conference of the research network "Digital Geographies" under the headline "Digital Disruptions". Mainz. 23.11.2023 [jointly with Friedrich Donner]
Social Media in Crisis. Navigating a new research field in Human Geography. Deutscher Kongress für Geographie 2023. Frankfurt a.M. 20.09.2023 [jointly with Julian Zschocke]
"Krise und ihre Bewältigung aus raumzeitlicher Perspektive – Welche Rolle spielen Expert:innen?" Leipziger Geographisches Kolloquium 2023 "Krisen und Stadt". Leipzig. 20.06.2023
"Wieso die Krise (k)ein Dauerzustand ist. Vorstellung eines engen Krisenbegriffs und das Potenzial für die Geographie". Conference New Cultural Geography: "Geographies of overlapping crises". Halle (Saale). 27.01.2023
2022
"Experts on Twitter and the Geographies of the Covid-19 Crisis". Global Conference on Economic Geography. Dublin. 07.06.2022
"Neukonfiguration von Nähe und Distanz: Wie Digitalität Geographie verändert. Ein Blickwinkel aus der Wirtschaftsgeographie". 6. Rheinland-Pfälzischer Schulgeographentag 2022. Mainz. 01.04.2022
2021
"Tweeting experts". Geowoche 2021. Online. 08.10.2021
"Die Geographie von Krisen - systematisch gedacht". Geowoche 2021. Online. 09.10.2021
"Demand for expertise in crisis. Giving advice under extra-ordinary circumstances". Conference "Emerging from Emergencies". IRS Erkner and JGU Mainz. Online. 01.07.2021 [jointly with Oliver Ibert]
2020
"Es ist Krise, oder? Annäherung an den Krisenbegriff". Lecture Series of the Professional Center at the University of Cologne
"Coworking spaces: Emergence and proliferation from a geographical perspective". Lecture Series of the Institute of Geography, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz. 03.12.2020
"Warum Krisen eine Räumlichkeit besitzen...und wieso die relevant ist". Ringvorlesung der Pädagogischen Hochschule Freiburg. 04.11.2020
"Experts in crisis: The diversity of advisors for coping with extreme events". 36th EGOS Colloquium. 03.07.2020 [jointly with Oliver Ibert]
"Experts in Crisis". Round Table "Communicating Science" of the Gutenberg Academy and the Gutenberg Research College. Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz. 15.06.2020
2019
“Open Creative Labs: An exploration of their function in user innovation processes and career resilience strategies”. International Lecture Series in Human Geography. Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz. 14.05.2019
2018
”The Spatiality of Crises from a Dynamic Process Perspective”. Annual Conference of the Leibniz Research Alliance ”Crises in a Globalized World”. Berlin. 12.12.2018
”Eine raumzeitliche Prozessperspektive auf Krisen”. Jahrestreffen des AK Industriegeographie. Naurod-Niedernhausen. 16.11.2018
“Anchoring Resilience in and Through Open Creative Labs in Amsterdam, Berlin, Detroit”. 5th Global Conference on Economic Geography. Cologne. 24.07.2018
“Open Creative Labs: The Institutionalization of User Innovation?”. 4th Geography of Innovation Conference. Barcelona. 02.02.2018
2017
”Die Institutionalisierung von Nutzer-Innovationen in Open Creative Labs?“. Deutscher Kongress für Geographie 2017. Tübingen. 02.10.2017
“Advice in Stressful Situations: Experts in Crises and Crisis Experts”. Workshop "On the Limits of Knowing: Ignorance, Promises and Political Economy of Knowledge”. Cambridge (MA). 29.08.2017
2016
“Sharing and (or "in") Communities: The Relation of Two Key Terms in Contemporary Economies”. 3rd International Workshop on the Sharing Economy. Winchester. 16.09.2016
“Fun or Frustration? An explorative comparison of enthusiast- and problem-driven user innovation from a time-spatial perspective”. Economic Worlds Seminar of the School of Geography. Nottingham. 21.04.2016
2015
“Value creation and market formation in enthusiast-driven communities”. Deutscher Kongress für Geographie 2015. Berlin. 01.10.2015
„Co-Working: Die Organisation von und für "Communities"?“ Deutscher Kongress für Geographie 2015. Berlin. 02.10.2015
“From ignorance to "heureka": Serendipitious and purposeful mobility in creative processes”. International Conference "Creativity in Arts and Sciences: Collective Processes from a Spatial Perspective". Erkner. 07.05.2015 [gem. mit Oliver Ibert]
WiSe 2024/2025
Exkursion mit Vorbereitungsseminar "Europäische Grenzregionen"
Tutorial "Reading Course 2" im Masterstudiengang "Globalisation, Media and Culture" [gemeinsam mit Veronika Cummings und Julia Verne]
SoSe 2024
Vorlesung "Einführung in die Humangeographie II: Wirtschaftsgeographie"
Vorlesung "Raumplanung"
Vorlesung "Theorien der Humangeographie" [gemeinsam mit Veronika Cummings und Julia Verne]
Exkursion in Deutschland mit Vorbereitungsseminar "Berlin/Brandenburg"
Tutorial "Reading Course 2" im Masterstudiengang "Globalisation, Media and Culture" [gemeinsam mit Veronika Cummings und Julia Verne]
Seminar "Current Debates on Globalisation, Media and Culture": "Geographies of Expertise"
WiSe 2023/2024
Projektseminar "Empirisches Arbeiten zu aktuellen Forschungsfragen: Digitale Plattformen im urbanen Raum"
Tutorial "Reading Course 2" im Masterstudiengang "Globalisation, Media and Culture" [gemeinsam mit Veronika Cummings und Julia Verne]
SoSe 2023
Vorlesung "Einführung in die Humangeographie II: Wirtschaftsgeographie"
Vorlesung "Raumplanung"
Vorlesung "Theorien der Humangeographie" [jointly with Veronika Cummings and Julia Verne]
Exkursion + Seminar "Nahraum - Orte der Region" [jointly with Oliver Konter]
Geländepraktikum "Methodenworkshop: E"
Seminar "Human Geography in Practice", Master of Arts programme "Globalisation, Media and Culture"
Tutorial "Reading Course 2", Master of Arts programme "Globalisation, Media and Culture" [jointly with Veronika Cummings and Julia Verne]
WiSe 2022/2023
Vorlesung "Einführung in die Humangeographie I: Wirtschaftsgeographie"
Übung "Einführung in die Humangeographie I: Wirtschaftsgeographie"
Vorlesung "Raumplanung/Raumordnung"
Tutorial "Reading Course 1", Master of Arts "Globalisation, Media and Culture" [jointly with Veronika Cummings and Julia Verne]
SoSe 2022
Seminar "Social Media Geography", Master of Arts "Globalisation, Media and Culture"
Tutorial "Reading Course 2", Master of Arts "Globalisation, Media and Culture" [jointly with Veronika Cummings and Julia Verne]
WiSe 2021/2022
Vorlesung "Einführung in die Humangeographie I: Wirtschaftsgeographie"
Geländepraktikum "Empirisches Arbeiten im Gelände (Auf den Spuren von Krisen)"
Tutorial "Reading Course 1", Master of Arts "Globalisation, Media and Culture"
SoSe 2021
Seminar "Social Media Geography", Master of Arts "Globalisation, Media and Culture"
Tutorial "Reading Course 2", Master of Arts "Globalisation, Media and Culture"
WiSe 2020/2021
Vorlesung "Einführung in die Humangeographie I: Wirtschaftsgeographie"
Übung "Einführung in die Humangeographie I: Wirtschaftsgeographie"
Tutorial "Reading Course 1", Master of Arts "Globalisation, Media and Culture"
SoSe 2020
Seminar "Social Media Geography", Master of Arts "Globalisation, Media and Culture"
Tutorial "Reading Course 2", Master of Arts "Globalisation, Media and Culture"
Vorlesung "Theorien der Humangeographie", Master of Education [jointly with Sandra Petermann, Ahmad Izzo, Marie Karner and Julia van Lessen]
WiSe 2019/2020
Vorlesung "Einführung in die Humangeographie I: Wirtschaftsgeographie"
Übung "Einführung in die Humangeographie I: Wirtschaftsgeographie"
Tutorial "Reading Course 1", Master of Arts "Globalisation, Media and Culture"
WiSe 2018/2019
Seminar "Neue Geographien von Arbeit", Institut für Geographische Wissenschaften, Freie Universität Berlin
WiSe 2017/2018
Seminar "Grundlagen der räumlichen Planung", Institut für Geographische Wissenschaften, Freie Universität Berlin