Prof. Dr. Neil Thurman
Prof. Dr. Neil Thurman is a Professor of Communication at Ludwig Maximilians University (LMU) Munich, specializing in Computational Journalism. His research centres on the transformations in news production and consumption driven by the internet, a subject extensively covered by major media outlets such asThe Wall Street Journal,The Guardian, andLe Figaro. His work has received significant recognition, including multiple 'Best Paper' awards from the International Symposium on Online Journalism in Austin, Texas.
Prof. Thurman holds a Freigeist Fellowship from the Volkswagen Foundation for his project on 'Algorithmic News.' Before his appointment at LMU in 2015, he was a Reader (Associate Professor) at City University London, where he led the Erasmus Mundus Master’s in Journalism, Media, and Globalization from 2006 to 2015. Earlier in his career, Prof. Thurman held various positions in interactive publishing, working with notable clients such as The British Library, The Science and Natural History Museums, and Getty Images.
He has authored numerous research papers, books, and book chapters on the digitalisation of journalism and the role of automation in news. His publications includeAlgorithms, Automation, and News: New Directions in the Study of Computation and Journalism(2021), co-edited with Seth Lewis and Jessica Kunert, andTime Spent Reading News-Brands(2018), which explores the print-digital performance of news outlets.
Prof. Thurman also serves as a referee for international academic journals and publishers and has been involved as an external examiner for journalism degree programmes. His global teaching experience includes visiting lectureships at UC Berkeley, University of Kent, and IE University in Madrid. Prof. Thurman remains a leading voice in computational journalism, exploring the intersection of media innovation, audience measurement, and digital media practices.
