Professor Mette Hjort confirmed as new Head of School of Film and Media
Professor Mette Hjort is joining the University of Lincoln as the new Head of the School of Film and Media.
She joins from the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), where she held the position of Dean of Arts and Chair Professor of Humanities. Here, she oversaw seven departments, four research centres and two research institutes.
Mette is a leading figure in the field of small nations and film and has played a significant role in developing the field of transnational cinema studies. In 2017, Aalborg University awarded her an Honorary Doctorate for her contributions in this area.
Her commitment to transnational cinema is reflected in her research on film education and talent development, with a key focus being solidarity-based partnerships on a Global North/Global South basis.
Mette’s dedication to liberal arts practices is strong – she is a founding fellow at the Hong Kong Academy for the Humanities and previously served as a member on the Board of the Danish Film Institute, as appointed by the Danish Minister of Culture.
During her years as Dean of Arts at the Hong Kong Baptist University, Mette has overseen the development of a Faculty Niche Research Area focusing on well-being, value, and the public good. She also was the Co-Chair of the University’s Ethical and Theoretical AI Lab; having played an active role in establishing and developing it.
In her former role at Lingnan University, Mette was Associate Vice President for Quality Assurance and Internationalisation. In this role, she participated in the work of the Global Liberal Arts Alliance. During her time here she was also appointed as a member of the University Grants Committee, responsible for with funding and developing policies for 8 government-funded universities by Hong Kong’s Chief Executive.
Mette was raised in Kenya and has a strong sense of connection to Africa. She has taken various steps to engage HKBU with the African continent, including developing a partnership with the Global Livingstone Institute and African Leadership Academy for the purposes of enhancing the faculty’s performance in non-local recruitment.
In 2019, Mette was selected by The Society for Cinema and Media Studies, the largest professional organization in the field, to participate in the SCMS Fieldnotes project. Through interviews with foundational scholars, these Fieldnotes will help to foster knowledge of and interest in the diverse and dynamic series of developments that have shaped the fields of film and media studies through the years.
Professor Hjort said “I am thrilled to be joining the University of Lincoln as Head of the Lincoln School of Film and Media.
“I look forward to building on the existing strengths of the school to realise common goals and aspirations together with colleagues and students. It is truly a privilege to be joining such a fine school.”
Professor Mette Hjort