Elisabeth Aafje van Zoonen

Elisabeth Aafje van Zoonen is a Dutch academic currently serving as Dean of the Graduate School of Social Sciences and Humanities at Erasmus University Rotterdam (since 2014) and Academic Director of the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Centre for Big, Open and Linked Data Cities (2016-present). Her career spans multiple prestigious institutions, including Loughborough University, University of Amsterdam, and University Maastricht.

• PhD (cum laude, 1991) and MA in political science (1984) from University of Amsterdam

Her research focuses on popular culture, civic engagement, mediated identity management, feminist media studies, and urban big data. She has led significant research projects like IMPRINTS, recognized for its potential profound impact on future studies. Her academic leadership includes founding and directing the Centre for Popular Culture at University of Amsterdam for seven years.

Scientific Awards:

• Nominated for European ID-Next Innovation Award (2013)
• Showcase at British Science Festival (2013)
• UK Big Idea for the Future recognition (2011)
• Nominated for Dr. Hendrik Muller Award (2001)
• Exemplary PSCW scholar (1997)

Van Zoonen has held professorships across media and communications, popular culture, and gender studies, with administrative roles including Department Head at University of Amsterdam (2005–2008) and leadership at the Loughborough Communication Research Centre.