Geert Lovink, founding director of the Institute of Network Cultures, is a Dutch-Australian media theorist and critic. He holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne and in 2003 was at the Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies, University of Queensland. In 2004 Lovink was appointed as Research Professor at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam and Associate Professor at University of Amsterdam. He is the founder of Internet projects such as nettime and fibreculture. His recent book titles are Dark Fiber (2002), Uncanny Networks (2002) and My First Recession (2003). In 2005-06 he was a fellow at the WissenschaftskollegBerlin Institute for Advanced Study where he finished his third volume on critical Internet culture, Zero Comments (2007). Email: geert [at] xs4all.nl. Geert’s weblog: www.networkcultures.org/geert

Sabine Niederer is the managing director of the Institute of Network Cultures. In January 2008 she has started her PhD research at the University of Amsterdam, Mediastudies, new media. Before joining the INC in 2004 she worked as a producer and curator of international events on new media, arts and digital culture, such as Hoogt 4 (2001-2004) and Level Up Games Conference (2003). In 2002 she earned her MA from Utrecht University, where she studied art history, and new media and digital culture. Sabine has taught media and design theory, is a freelance curator of art and new media projects such as Impakt Online, and publishes regularly on new media, art and popular culture. As a researcher, she is affiliated with the Amsterdam-based Digital Methods Initiative. Email: sabine [at] networkcultures.org.

Margreet Riphagen, project manager at INC, graduated in 2000 in Integrated Communication Management at the Hogeschool of Utrecht. After graduating, Margreet worked at an advertising agency in Utrecht. In June 2003 she started working at Waag Society as a producer. After three and a half years at Waag Society she switched to the Media Guild, which is a not for profit organisation that fosters innovative starters in the field of new media and ICT. After setting up the Media Guild, she left for Blender, which is a 3D open source animation suite. There she was co-producer of Big Buck Bunny (Peach open movie project) and producing an open game. Since August 2008 she works at the Institute for Network Cultures managing and producing projects for the INC. In 2009 she finished her postbachelor Business Science. Email: margreet [at] networkcultures.org.

Rachel Somers Miles works on projects and publications for the Institute of Network Cultures, replacing Sabine Niederer while she is on leave between March and the end of July, 2010. Rachel moved from Toronto to Amsterdam in September 2008 to attend the Preservation and Presentation of the Moving Image Masters programme at the University of Amsterdam, focusing on media art, and has recently completed her thesis. She also holds a previous Masters degree in Media Studies from Concordia University, Montreal (2008). From March 2009 to February 2010 she was an intern, and then employee, of the Nederlands Instituut voor Mediakunst, Amsterdam, working in the preservation department on a number of media arts documentation and research projects. She is also currently working at Virtueel Platform, Amsterdam, as a researcher for “Project Observatory,” which focuses on a number of significant media art case studies, including the artist group Blast Theory, UK, and the Runme.org online software art repository. While at the INC she will be working on projects such as Video Vortex and Urban Screens, as well as on the publication series Studies in Network Cultures. Email: rachel[at]networkcultures.org

Juliana Brunello holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Universitaet Siegen (Germany) in Social Sciences with emphasis in Media Studies. She finished her studies in October 2009 with a thesis that involved the concepts of reality construction (Berger/Luckmann) and the Scientology Organization, based on media (books, internet websites) analysis. She worked at the Verein fuer soziale Arbeit und Kultur Suedwestfalen in the research/pedagogic area for the last two years, before starting as a research intern at the Institute of Network Cultures. She is originally from Brazil and started her studies there at Faculdade Tancredo Neves in International Relations. Furthermore, she lived in the United States of America for eleven months as an exchange student and in England for six, working. Email: juliana[at]networkcultures.org.

Morgan Currie was born in the United States and is studying for a Masters degree in New Media at the University of Amsterdam. Her thesis explores how batch digitization of print collections is changing (and challenging) the traditional role of institutional libraries. Her related topics of interest include digital archives, open access publishing, and
sustainability of the commons. Currently she is researching for the Institute of Network Cultures in Amsterdam and remains a frequent contributor to the Masters of Media blog. Prior to her current studies she worked for eight years as a researcher and producer of documentary films for American public television and GOOD Magazine. Email: morgan[at]networkcultures.org

Cecilia Guida is an intern at the Institute of Network Cultures involved with the Video Vortex project. She is a Ph.D. candidate at the IULM University of Milan where she is conducting a research on the social and political functions of art practice in the networked society. She holds a Master Degree in Curating  Contemporary Art at La Sapienza University of Rome (2006). She has curated exhibitions in museums, galleries, public and non-profit spaces in Italy and abroad. She has taught aesthetics at IUAV University of Venice (2008-09) and sociology of art at Fine Arts Academy (2007) and at La Sapienza University of Rome. (2004-05). She collaborates with the Italian web-site of contemporary art www.undo.net. She lived in Spain eleven months as an exchange student and in England for ten, studying. Email: cecilia[at]networkcultures.org.

Srividya Balasubramanian is an intern at the Institute of Network Cultures involved with the Society of the Query project. She has recently completed her last exams for the Bachelor of Social Sciences in Communications and New Media from the National University of Singapore and awaits graduation (summer 2010). Her Bachelor thesis explores the phenomenon of online confessional websites with a particular focus on how these websites allow for an electronic ‘care of the self,’ a term coined by Michel Foucault in his analysis of confessions. She has previous internship experiences working as a reporter for a newspaper in India (summer 2007), and under the Corporate Communications division of Asia Pacific Breweries in Singapore(summer 2009). She is originally from India, and moved to Singapore to pursue her undergraduate studies, spending seven months in Amsterdam in 2009 as an exchange student. Email:srividya[at]networkcultures.org

INC has recently collaborated with:

Shirley Niemans is a researcher and co-editor for the Society of the Query conference (November 2009) and has been the INC event producer of Video Vortex (2008), New Network Theory (2007) and MyCreativity (2006). After graduating from the KABK/Royal Conservatory of The Hague in 2002 she worked as a video and sound artist and obtained an MA degree in New Media and Digital Culture at Utrecht University in 2009. She has (co-)produced and curated events and art projects ranging from international new media expert meetings to art exhibitions in public space. Currently, she teaches Trend Analysis and coaches Interactive Media students at Amsterdam University of Applied Science, and co-organizes an art and research programme for the Impakt Foundation. Email: shirley[at]networkcultures[dot]org Blog: http://www.shirleyniemans.nl

Anne Helmond is a new media researcher, graphic designer and photographer. In 2008 she graduated from New Media at the University of Amsterdam with a thesis in the emerging field of Software Studies, titled ‘Blogging for Engines. Blogs under the Influence of Software-Engine Relations.’ For the INC, Anne has designed the new Institute of Network Cultures website and weblog, as well as Geert Lovink’s blog and the New Media in the Netherlands site. As a researcher, she is affiliated with the Amsterdam-based Digital Methods Initiative. As photographer, she works for various organizations such as the INC and the Dutch public broadcasting company VPRO. Anne is also maintening the website of the institute. Email: anne.helmond [at] gmail.com. Anne’s photos & Anne’s blog

Serena Westra is an intern at the Institute of Network Cultures involved with the Critical Point of View event, to be held in March 2010. She is CPOV’s assistant-producer. She is studying Media & Culture at the University of Amsterdam, with a specialisation in New Media and a minor in Sociology. She is interested in the position of new media in society and power structures on the Web. Her email-address is: serena_westra[at]hotmail.com

Dennis Deicke is an intern at the Institute of Network Cultures. Currently he does research to prepare The Society of the Query conference, which will take place on November 13-14 in TrouwAmsterdam. After leaving school in 2007, he moved from Frankfurt/Main to Friedrichshafen at Lake Constance to begin the study of Communication and Cultural Management at the Zeppelin University, which will presumably be finished with a Bachelor‘s Degree in the summer of 2010. Last summer he worked for the editorial staff of the German public broadcasting station ZDF. Email: dennis [at] networkcultures.org

Elena Tiis is an intern at the Institute of Network Cultures involved with the Urban Screens event to be held in December 2009, besides she is a student at the University of Amsterdam. She finished her preparatory program in the Social Sciences in June 2009 which will allow her to pursue a Masters in Urban Studies from September 2009. She holds a degree in Art History from the University of York (UK) (2008), after which she worked for the summer at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) in Rotterdam. She is originally from Finland. Email: elena [at] networkcultures.org.

Minke Kampman is currently writing her thesis for MA New Media (UvA), while she works as a production assistent for the upcoming Winter Camp 09. The subject of her thesis is the flagging system on video sharing sites as a moderation tool, part of which was published in the latest INC reader ‘Video Vortex: Responses to YouTube’ by the name “Flagging or Fagging.” In 2005 she graduated with a Bdes in Graphic Design at ArteZ, Arnhem. Minke also works at Supershirt and as part of VJ VIADUKTAPE™. Email: info [at] minkekampman.nl

Marije van Eck started working at the Institute of Network Cultures as an intern, involved in the organization of the Video Vortex conference. During the internship, she wrote her BA-thesis, an analysis of the phenomenon of user generated content on YouTube, in order to complete the New Media and Digital Culture program at Utrecht University. She continues to study at Utrecht University to obtain a second BA in English Language and Culture, while working at the INC as editorial assistant on the forthcoming Video Vortex Reader. Email: marije [at] chasingthoughts.net. Marije’s blog