Ginette Verstraete

Ginette Verstraete is Professor of Comparative Arts and Media at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam's Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Department of Arts & Culture. She joined VU in 2006 as Professor/Chair of Comparative Arts and Media and has held leadership positions including Head of the Department of Arts & Culture, Head of Education, and Director of the Educational Committee.

Verstraete's research focuses on media and cultural theory, mobility, space & place, and media & cities. Her current work explores participatory urbanism in Western Europe, particularly examining how media, art and design influence urban participation. A significant portion of her research, the RE-Source project, investigates circular ecology transitions in Rotterdam, for which she secured an NWO-SIA Grant (2017-2020) and won the Dutch Design Award 2019 in Design Research.

Her scholarly contributions demonstrate consistent engagement with urban design, cultural heritage, and the intersection of media with spatial practices. The research output shows a clear trajectory from foundational work on visual culture and media theory toward applied design research focused on sustainable urban development.

• Dutch Design Award 2019 in Design Research category for RE-Source project
• Principal Investigator for Cultural Heritage, Identities & Perspectives project (2021-2025)
• Member of editorial board for European Journal of Cultural Studies
• Board member of Netherlands Institute for Cultural Analysis and Research School for Media Studies

Verstraete has supervised numerous PhD students including Ward Rennen (UvA, 2007), Huub van Baar (UvA, 2011), and Joana Meroz (VU, 2018), while also participating in many PhD jury committees. Her research has been funded by prestigious organizations including Dutch Research Council/NWO, Fulbright Foundation, European Science Foundation, and KNAW-Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies.

She has played a foundational role in curriculum development at VU, establishing the MA in Design Cultures (2010), MA in Comparative Arts and Media Studies (2010), and BA in Media, Art, Design & Architecture (2013).