Dirk Bruin researches applications of complex science to social systems. His previous experience in business raised foundational questions concerning the nature of social institutions, firms in particular, which led to Dirk’s PhD research at The Centre Leo Apostel centre at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel on the topic of the firm as an emergent phenomenon. Dirk’s current research revolves around the idea that the organisation of conflicts is a-centered, emerging from a variety of interrelated activities to a form of coherence.
Dirk started his career as an international management consultant, working in The Netherlands, Western Europe, Mozambique and Southern Africa. His clients included private as well as state-owned companies and Government institutions. He collaborated with (I)NGOs, and international (funding) agencies leading projects ranging from the unbundling of an electricity utility and the nationalisation and reprivatization of a commercial bank, to modelling inflation and labour market statistics. Prior to beginning his research, Dirk was active as an entrepreneur in manufacturing, working across The Netherlands, the UK and Tunisia. His main customers were government bodies and international private companies.
