Prof. Dr. Annelien Smets

Annelien Smet holds a PhD in Media and Communication Studies (VUB) on the topic of serendipity in recommender systems. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Economics (2015), and a master’s degree in Information Management (2016) and Artificial Intelligence (2017) from KU Leuven. 

Annelien is a Research Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and senior researcher at SMIT's Media Economics & Policy unit, where she acts as the principle investigator on recommender systems. Her research centers around personalization and recommender systems, and their value in media markets. She has a particular interest in discovery through recommenders.

Annelien is PI of the strategic research project (Research Foundation Flanders) Serendipity Engine and track lead in the VUB Strategic Research Program on Media Economics. At Vrije Universiteit Brussel, she teaches in the Bachelor Communicatiewetenschappen and the Master Digital Media in Europe. Her course topics deal with media economics and digital business.