Maxine De Wulf Helskens is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Communication Sciences at Ghent University, affiliated with both the Center for Journalism Studies (CJS) and the Centre for Cinema and Media Studies (CIMS). She holds two master’s degrees - one in Communication Sciences (Ghent University, 2020) and one in Journalism (Free University of Brussels, 2021) - and earned her PhD in Communication Sciences from Ghent University in 2025.
Her doctoral research began in 2021, initially as a teaching assistant and later as a full-time researcher, supported by funding from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO). Under the supervision of prof. Dr. Sarah Van Leuven and prof. Dr. Frederik Dhaenens, her work explored how audiences interpret fictional representations of journalism. In 2025, she launched a postdoctoral project investigating the underrepresentation of women and minority journalists in Flemish newsrooms.
Her research has been published in several peer-reviewed journals, including Journalism, Feminist Media Studies, and the Journal of Diversity and Gender Studies.In recognition of her contributions to gender and media studies, she received the 2023Frieda Saeys Prize for outstanding research.
During her PhD, Maxine served as a representative for the department’s internationalization office. She undertook research and study stays at Charles University (Prague), Roskilde University (Copenhagen), The Washington Center (Washington, D.C.), and the University of Southern California (Los Angeles). For the latter two, she was awarded funding from respectively the Flemish government and FWO and Fulbright.
