Ozge Samanci

Ozge Samanci is an Associate Professor in the Department of Radio/Television/Film at Northwestern University's School of Communication. A media artist and graphic novelist, she explores the intersection of art, technology, and environmental issues through innovative interactive installations and visual storytelling.

Her research interests span media arts, interactive art, installation art, emerging technologies, AI, VR, XR, fabrication, critical making, creative coding, environmental studies, comics, and graphic novels. Samanci's work often addresses environmental politics, particularly ocean and space pollution, creating data-driven art that makes complex ecological issues tangible and visceral for viewers.

Samanci's creative output includes internationally exhibited interactive installations such as VastWaste (exploring space debris and marine pollution), Fiber Optic Ocean (examining the relationship between sharks and underwater cables), and You are the Ocean (an EEG-driven ocean simulation). Her graphic novels include Dare to Disappoint (2015), translated into six languages, and Evil Eyes Sea (2024), named one of The Guardian's best graphic novels of 2024.

• Berlin Prize and Holtzbrinck Visual Arts Fellow at the American Academy in Berlin (2017)
• Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts Distinguished Alumni Award from Georgia Tech (2020)
• Artist Fellowship Award in Media Arts from the Illinois Arts Council (2023)
• Middle East Book Award (2016)
• 30th Annual New York Book Show recognition (2016)
• Finalist for the Wolinski Prize (2022)

Samanci teaches courses including Filmmaking with Emerging Technologies, Critical Making, Drawing for Media, Virtual and Alternate Reality Storytelling, and Computer Code as Expressive Medium. Her work bridges academic research, artistic practice, and public engagement, with installations exhibited at venues including Museu do Amanhã, SIGGRAPH Art Gallery, FILE Festival, Currents New Media, and The Tech Museum of Innovation.