I am a postdoctoral researcher in film and media studies and currently a member of the research training group „anschließen – ausschließen: Kulturelle Praktiken jenseits globaler Vernetzung“ at University of Cologne.
My research interests are visual culture and its interferences with public discourses, the audiovisual depiction of violence, documentary film and its theories, popular culture and digital media cultures.
My postdoc project entitlted „Liveness als Kategorie medialer Teilhabe im Postdigitalen“ focuses on contemporary live images within postdigital media spheres. It aims to examine how medial parttaking becomes a constitutive trait of liveness. You can read more about it here.
I studied Cultural Studies in Dortmund from 2011–2015, did a semester abroad in Long Beach, California, fostering a long-standing loving relationship with the U.S., and finally completed a Master’s in Theatre-, Film- and Media Studies in Frankfurt from 2015–2018. Before delving into a PhD in Media Studies in Cologne, I worked at different companies in the media sector as a project manager.
In 2024, I completed my PhD with distinction at the a.r.t.e.s. graduate school Cologne with a project on the intentional depiction of killing in audiovisual media. It is entitled „Töten zeigen. Zur Situierung von Gewaltbildern in Medienkulturen des 20. und 21. Jahrhunderts“ and will be published in the „Edition Medienwissenschaft“ at transcript in 2025!
I am also a queer first generation academic who thinks that teaching is the most fun part of the job. I think you should know that about me.
If you would like to see all this in a CV, drop me a line: jwillms1@uni-koeln.de
Dr. Julia Willms 