In 2000, she got her PhD in Sociology from the Autonomous University of Madrid. She enjoyed a Marie Curie fellowship and a Juan March Institute fellowship for the development of her PhD thesis.
From 1999 to 2003 she was lecturer at the Sociology Department of the University Carlos III of Madrid. She has been visiting researcher at the University of Oxford at Nuffield College (1997-1998) and at the School of Public Policy in the Georgia Institute of Technology (2008).
Her area of Expertise focuses on research, education and innovation policies. Comparative studies on S&T and training policies in Europe and in Spain, with especial attention to the role of human resources, the functioning of research labour markets, research careers, and the relationship between higher education and research policy. Public research organisations and their responses to changes in the S&T funding system, and regional science policies in comparative perspective have also been issues of her interest.
Her research has been funded by competitive sources such us the EU R&D Framework Programmes and the Spanish National R&D Plans. She has been involved in European Commission Experts Groups, and OECD Working Groups in the area of her expertise and, in Spain, she has collaborated with the FECYT and COTEC Foundations.
From 2006, Laura Cruz is member of the Board of the Research Committee of Sociology of Science and Technology of the International Sociological Association (ISA). From February 2008, she is member of the Bureau of the Working Group about Research Institutions and Human Resources (RIHR) of the OECD.
She has participated in science policy evaluation exercises both at the national and international levels. he is a member of the PRIME Network of Excellence, and in its framework, has participated in several international academic workshops and projects.
She has published scientific articles and other works on science, education and innovation issues in international journals like International Studies of Management and Organization (ISMO), Regional Studies, Research Evaluation, Research Policy, Research in the Sociology of Work, Science and Public Policy, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, and in Spanish Journals such as Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas (REIS), Revista Internacional de Sociología (RIS), Revista Española de Ciencia Política (RECP), Papers. Revista de Sociologia, Inguruak. Revista Vasca de Sociología y Ciencia Política, etc.
Recent Selected Publications
Sanz-Menéndez, L. & Cruz-Castro. L. (2019). «The Credibility of Scientific Communication Sources Regarding Climate Change: A Population-Based Survey Experiment». Public Understanding of Science (first on line). https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662519840946
Sanz-Menéndez, L. & Cruz-Castro, L. (2019). «University academics’ preferences for hiring and promotion systems». European Journal of Higher Education 9 (2): 153-171. https://doi.org/10.1080/21568235.2018.1515029.
Cruz-Castro, L & Sanz-Menéndez, L. (2018) Autonomy and Authority in Public Research Organisations: Structure and Funding Factors. Minerva 56 (2): 135-160. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11024-018-9349-1
Cruz-Castro, L.; Holl, A.; Rama, R. & Sanz-Menéndez, L. (2018): Economic crisis and company R&D in Spain: do regional and policy factors matter?, Industry and Innovation 25 (8): 729-751. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13662716.2017.1355231
Cruz-Castro, L., Benitez-Amado, A. and Sanz-Menéndez. L. (2016) ‘The proof of the pudding: university responses to the European Research Council’, Research Evaluation, 25 (4): 358-370. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/reseval/rvw015
Cruz-Castro, L. and Sanz-Menéndez, L (2016)"The effects of the economic crisis on public research: Spanish budgetary policies and research organizations", Technological Forecasting and Social Change 113 (part B) 157-167. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162515002413
Martínez, C., Cruz-Castro, L and Sanz-Menéndez, L. (2016) "Innovation capabilities in the private sector: evaluating subsidies for hiring S&T workers in Spain", Research Evaluation 25 (2) 196-208. http://rev.oxfordjournals.org/content/25/2/196.abstract
Cruz-Castro, L. and Sanz-Menéndez, L. (2015). ‘Policy Change and Differentiated Integration: Implementing Spanish Higher Education Reforms’, Journal of Contemporary European Research. 11 (1), pp. 103-123. http://www.jcer.net/index.php/jcer/article/view/628/519
Jonkers, K. and Cruz-Castro, L. (2013). "Research upon return: The effect of international mobility on scientific ties, production and impact". Research Policy 42(8): 1366-1377. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2013.05.005
Cruz-Castro, Laura; Sanz-Menendez, Luis and Martinez, Catalina (2012) “Research centers in transition: patterns of convergence and diversity”. Journal of Technology Transfer 37 (1):18-42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10961-010-9168-5
Osuna, C.; Cruz-Castro, L. and Sanz-Menendez, L. (2011) “Overturning some assumptions about the effects of evaluation systems on publication performance”. Scientometrics 86 (3): 575-592. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11192-010-0312-7
Cruz-Castro, L. and Sanz-Menendez, L. (2010) “Mobility versus job stability: Assessing tenure and productivity outcomes”. Research Policy 39 (1): 27-38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2009.11.008
Jonkers, K. and Cruz-Castro, L. (2010) The internationalisation of public sector research through international joint laboratories. Science and Public Policy (2010) 37 (8): 559-570. http://spp.oxfordjournals.org/content/37/8/559.abstract
Sanz Menéndez, L. & Cruz Castro, L. (eds.) (2010). Análisis sobre Ciencia e Innovación en España. Madrid: FECYT. http://icono.fecyt.es/informesypublicaciones/Documents/Analisis_Ciencia_...
"Research Evaluation in Transition: Individual versus Organisational Assessment in Spain" (L. Cruz-Castro & L Sanz-Menendez). The Sociology of Sciences Yearbook, [The Changing Governance of the Sciences. The Advent of the Research Evaluation Systems, (Richard Whitley & Jochen Gläser, eds.)], vol 26, 2007, pp. 205-223.
"New Legitimation Models and the Transformation of the Public Research Organizational Field" (L. Cruz-Castro & L Sanz-Menendez). International Studies of Management and Organization, vol. 37, n.1, 2007, p. 27-52. DOI: 10.2753/IMO0020-8825370102
"Explaining the science and technology policies of regional governments" (L. Sanz-Menendez & L. Cruz-Castro). Regional Studies, vol 39, n. 7, october 2005, pp. 939-954. DOI: 10.1080/00343400500289945
"Politics and institutions: European Parliamentary Technology Assessment" (L. Cruz-Castro & L. Sanz-Menendez). Technological Forecasting and Social Change, vol 72, n. 4, May 2005, pp. 429-448. DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2004.01.007
“The employment of PhDs in firms: trajectories, mobility and innovation” (L Cruz Castro & L.Sanz Menéndez).Research Evaluation, vol. 14, n.1, april, pp. 57-69. DOI: 10.3152/147154405781776292
"Bringing S&T Human Resources back in: The Spanish Ramón y Cajal Programme" (L. Cruz-Castro & L.Sanz Menéndez). Science and Public Policy vol 32, n.1. February 2005, pp. 39-53. DOI:10.3152/147154305781779687
"Shaping the impact: the Institutional Context of Technology Assessment" (L. Cruz-Castro & L. Sanz-Menendez). M. Decker, M. Liakopoulos (Eds.), Bridges between Science, Society and Policy. Technology Assessment - Methods and Impacts, Springer-Verlag, Berlin-Heidelberg New York, 2004, pp. 101-127.
Luis SanzMenéndez, Laura Cruz Castro & Jaime Aja Valle (2004) Evaluación de la Acción IDE (Incorporación de doctores a las empresas). Madrid: Fundación COTEC, 2004. 175 p.
"Coping with environmental pressures: public research organizations responses to funding crisis" (L. Sanz-Menendez & L. Cruz-Castro). Research Policy, vol 32, n. 8, September 2003; pp. 1293-1308. DOI: 10.1016/S0048-7333(02)00120-8
"The connection between training policies and investment in general skills" (L. Cruz-Castro & G. Colon). David Bill (ed.) (2004) Special Issue on the Sociology of Job Training. Research in the Sociology of Work, vol. 13, 2004, pp: 141-160.
Laura Cruz Castro (Ed.) España 2015: Prospectiva Social e Investigación Científica y Tecnológica. FECYT: Madrid, 2004, p. 364.
“Diversity of training policies and qualification frameworks” (L. Cruz Castro). Frank Achtenhagen (ed) Milestones of vocational education and learning: institutional perspectives, pp: 127-143 vol. 2, Bertelsmann verlag, Bielefeld, 2003.
"Estabilidad y cambio en las políticas andaluzas de ciencia, tecnología e innovación" (M. Romero, L. Cruz Castro & L. Sanz Menéndez). Revista Internacional de Sociología, n 35, mayo-agosto, 2003, p. 7-51.
“La importancia de los intereses académicos en la política científica y tecnológica catalana” (L. Cruz Castro, M. Fernández & L.Sanz Menéndez). Papers, Revista de Sociología, vol. 70, 2003, pp. 75-105
“Diseño institucional y preferencias políticas: o cómo equilibrar los intereses académicos en la política de ciencia, tecnología e innovación gallega” (M. Fernández, L.Sanz Menéndez & L. Cruz Castro). Inguruak, Revista vasca de Sociología y Ciencia Política, n. 35, Mayo 2003, pp 33-68.
“Agenda, Ideas y Decisores. Las políticas de formación profesional” (L. Cruz Castro). M. Graus y A. Mateos (eds). Enfoques analíticos y políticas sectoriales en España, Tirant Lo Blanc, Valencia, 2002, pp. 59-94,
"Autonomía y adaptación organizativa: los centros de investigación ante los cambios del entorno" (L. Sanz-Menendez & L. Cruz Castro). Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas, nº 95, 2001, pp. 37-67.
"Ideas, instituciones y ciclo económico: las políticas de formación en España" (L. Cruz Castro). Revista Española de Ciencia Política, vol.1, nº4, 2001, pp.149-168.
"Las políticas de formación y educación: eficiencia productiva y redistribución" (L. Cruz-Castro), C. Closa (Ed.) La Europeización del Sistema Político Español, Madrid: Itsmo Akal, 2001, pp: 441-460.
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