[Profile picture of Ruben Verborgh]

Ruben Verborgh

Resume

Short bio

Ruben Verborgh is a Professor of Decentralized Web Technology at IDLab of Ghent University, and a data technology consultant to innovative enterprises that envisage an exciting and inclusive future for all of us. He co-founded Res PublicAI, a European foundation that aims to bring responsible AI to people, companies, governments and research. His latest book, The Insight Economy, is forthcoming with Wiley in January 2027, after more than 350 peer-reviewed publications on Web, data, and AI technologies.

Current positions

Associate Professor Ghent University –now
As an interdisciplinary researcher with a technology background, I focus on the sustainable integration of personal data and AI into society and the economy.
Co-Founder Res PublicAI –now
Res PublicAI is a European foundation that aims to bring responsible AI to people, companies, governments and research.
Data Technology Advisor Inrupt –now
Inrupt supports enterprises and organizations across the globe on the path to make data work better for all of us.
Member of the Solid Advisory Committee Open Data Institute –now
I am a Research Sector Representative within the Solid Advisory Committee at the ODI.

Past positions

Head of Research Group Ghent University – imec –
Together with Femke Ongenae and Pieter Colpaert, I headed the KNoWS research group within IDLab of Ghent University and imec.
Oxford Martin Visiting Fellow University of Oxford –
As part of the 3-year program on Ethical Web and Data Infrastructure in the Age of AI, we aim to reform the concentration of power on the Web by developing and deploying new forms of technical and legal infrastructure.
Research Affiliate Massachusetts Institute of Technology –
I regularly visited the Decentralized Information Group to collaborate with Tim Berners-Lee on re-decentralizing the Web through Linked Data technologies.
Visiting Scientist Massachusetts Institute of Technology –
Working with Tim Berners-Lee and Lalana Kagal at the Decentralized Information Group, I developed software related to Solid for decentralized Web applications.
Visiting Research Scholar Stanford University –
Together with Michel Dumontier, I applied scalable Linked Data querying techniques to the domain of biomedical informatics.
Postdoctoral Researcher Ghent University – imec –
I performed research on client-side SPARQL query execution using lightweight Web APIs, and supervised the research activities of 10 PhD students.
Visiting Researcher Trinity College Dublin –
I visited Vincent Wade and Owen Conlan to develop a prototype of a hypermedia-driven personalized content delivery platform.
Doctoral Researcher Ghent University – imec –
My PhD research explored the current limits of Semantic Web services and APIs.
Member of the Board of Directors MyData Global –
Member of the Advisory Board Digita –

Education

PhD in Computer Science Engineering Ghent University 2010–2014
Advisor: Rik Van de Walle.
Dissertation: Serendipitous Web Applications through Semantic Hypermedia.
Master in Computer Science Engineering Ghent University 2008–2010
With highest honor.
Thesis: Application of Semantic Web Technologies for (Semi-)Automatic Metadata Generation for Multimedia Data.
Bachelor in Computer Science Ghent University 2005–2008
With great honor.

Selected awards and grants

Best In-Use Paper Award International Semantic Web Conference 2021
for The ERA Knowledge Graph: Leveraging Semantic Web technologies for digital interoperability in the Railway domain.
Best In-Use Paper Award Extended Semantic Web Conference 2017
for smartAPI: Towards a More Intelligent Network of Web APIs.
Winner Innoversity Challenge Ghent University 2016
for educational innovation project Open Webslides.
Postdoctoral Fellowship Research Foundation Flanders 2015–2021
Full research grant for a 3-year fellowship, extended with another 3 years.
Doctoral Grant Research Foundation Flanders 2011–2014
Full research grant for a 4-year PhD.

PhD students

Current

Past

Publications

Journal and magazine articles

Conference and workshop publications

Books

Book chapters

Proceedings as editor

PhD dissertations