Laurens Kolks obtained a bachelor's degree in Industrial Design at Design Academy Eindhoven (1999), and a master's degree in Sociology at Erasmus University Rotterdam (2018, cum laude). He was a teacher, researcher and mentor at St. Joost School of Art & Design (2008-2023), and a guest lecturer at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy, Fontys Academy of Architecture and Urbanism, Willem de Kooning Academy and SUPSI, Lugano. Kolks worked as a researcher at the Centre of Applied Research for Art, Design and Technology - Avans University of Applied Sciences.

Laurens Kolks' research and writing address subjects at the intersection of sociology and design. He investigates how design enacts the articulation of public issues. He examines how various design approaches contribute to public engagement with collective concerns.