Research group at imec & Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Archives: Team members

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Ulysse Maes

Ulysse joined SMIT in September 2023 as a PhD researcher. His focus is on comprehending the multifaceted challenges and opportunities presented by the evolving landscape of AI, particularly in news and video recommender systems. He holds a master’s degree in Business and Information Systems Engineering, where he graduated magna cum laude. His academic pursuits took […]

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Suzanne Cullen-Smith

My passion for justice, fairness, and equality has fed a lifetime of volunteering and an interest in promoting diversity and inclusion in society. After earning a Bachelor of Social Science degree from University College Dublin, Ireland, I travelled to the U.S.A. where I worked in mental health, addictions treatment, and health education for fifteen years, […]

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Noëmie Forest

Eager to investigate the role of platforms and streamers in constantly evolving media ecosystems, Noëmie joined SMIT as a researcher in the Media Economics and Policy unit in 2023. She will research personalization and recommender systems, and their value in media markets. Noëmie studied Communication Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, between 2018 and 2022, […]

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Pieter Ballon

Professor Pieter Ballon is Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences, director of imec-SMIT and Vice-Rector of Research at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He is also co-founder of the European Network of Living Labs and of the Hannah Arendt Institute. Prof. Ballon holds a PhD in Communication Sciences and an MA in Modern History. He […]

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Jean-Claude Burgelman – Honorary Director & Founder

I am responsible for open science and data policies of DG RTD, European Commission. I joined the European Commission in 1999 as a Visiting Scientist in the Joint Research Centre (the Institute of Prospective Technological Studies – IPTS), where I became Head of the Information Society Unit in 2005. In January 2008, I moved to […]

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Caroline Pauwels – Honorary Director SMIT & Honorary Rector VUB (*2022)

Caroline Pauwels studied Philosophy (UFSIA) and Communication Sciences (VUB). She was the Rector of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel from 2016 till 2022. Prior to that, she was Director at SMIT, a position which she started in 2000. In 2014, she received the Francqui Chair at Ghent University, and between 2012 and 2016 she held the […]

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Jo Pierson

Jo Pierson, Ph.D., is Full Professor in the Department of Media and Communication Studies at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in Belgium and Principal Investigator at the research centre SMIT (Studies on Media, Innovation and Technology). In this position, he is in charge of the research unit ‘Data, Privacy & Empowerment’, in close cooperation with […]

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Pieter De Leenheer – Senior researcher

Pieter is Entrepreneur in Residence at Harvard Business School and serves as adjunct faculty at Columbia University. He is a cofounder and former Chief Science Officer of Collibra, a unicorn software venture, that spun off his PhD research on community-based ontology management at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Pieter writes, teaches and advises on computing and management […]

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An Jacobs

An Jacobs, Ph.D., is a sociologist working at SMIT since 2005.Currently she is a part time Associate Professor in the Department of Media and Communication Studies, teaching Interpretative research methods at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in Belgium. She is also Principal Investigator at the research centre  SMIT (Studies on Media, Innovation and Technology). In […]

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Wim Cloots

Wim joined SMIT in 2014 as Operations Manager, responsible for general management, contracting, planning, finance and HR and the internal organisation of the institute. He holds a Master degree in Modern History (KULeuven) and followed postgraduates in International and European Law (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) and Business Administration (VLEKHO). Before SMIT, Wim worked in a startup […]

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Wendy Van den Broeck

As the world of media and television is ever changing, it’s something I’ll never grow tired of. My first research project was on interactive digital television and it is unbelievable how rapid the industry and the technology have evolved since. New services like time-shifted viewing, Netflix, personalised advertising and immersive media applications have entered our […]

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Simon Delaere

How do organisations innovate and how do they capture value from those innovations? How does society regulate its ICT infrastructures in order to maximize public welfare, create flourishing markets and deal with unwanted side-effects? What are the politics and economics behind the roll-out of the state-of-the-art networks we use every day? I have always had […]

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