Dr. Aanske Fokkens

Biography

Aanske Fokkens holds the University Research Chair in Computational Linguistic Methods and coordinates the Text Mining/Language AI track within the linguistics master’s program and the Human Language Technology track of the Research Master’s program at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She serves as the Vice Dean of Research for the Faculty of Humanities. Her research primarily focuses on the methodological aspects of Computational Linguistics, particularly exploring computational models of language and the patterns and systems found in natural language. Fokkens is interested in how these computational methods can be applied to analyze phenomena in social contexts, such as how different ethnic backgrounds influence media narratives. She employs advanced systems to extract meaningful patterns from extensive textual data while ensuring that researchers can effectively evaluate the reliability of the outputs produced by these tools. Since joining VU in 2012, Fokkens has contributed significantly to various projects, including BiographyNet and the NewsReader project, aiming to enhance historical research through NLP and the Semantic Web. Her PhD thesis proposed new methodologies for developing precise linguistic grammars, contributing to the DELPH-IN consortium. Fokkens emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and methodological reflection in her teaching, training students to formulate hypotheses and apply evaluation methods rigorously. Her courses interweave insights from her research, providing students with immediate relevance and inspiration in the evolving field of computational linguistics.

Research Interests

Experience