Anu Koivunen is professor of Gender Studies. After finishing her PhD in Media Studies in Turku in 2003, she worked as postdoctoral researcher at the Christina Institute for Women’s Studies at University of Helsinki (2003–2005), as assistant and associate professor in Cinema Studies at Stockholm University (2005–2012) and as acting professor of Media Culture at University of Tampere (2006­–2007). She was appointed Professor of Cinema Studies at Stockholm university in 2012, working in 2015–2017 as Senior Research Fellow at Department of History, Philosophy and Art Studies at University of Helsinki and, before starting her current post in August 2021, acting as Professor of Gender Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Tampere University. Koivunen was appointed docent in Media Culture at University of Tampere in 2004 and as docent in the fields of Cinema and TV Studies and Women’s Studies at University of Helsinki in 2004.

Recent research projects

• Yle100 and Culture (Yle100 consortium 2022–2025), PI

• Politicized Intimacies (WP3), Intimacy in Data-driven Culture, IDA (STN-CULT 2019–2025), WP3 PI
• Flows of power: media as site and agent of politics, FLOPO (Mediasoc, Academy of Finland 2019–2022), consortium PI
• Kulttuuritelevision aika (Koneen säätiö 2018-2022), PI

Koivunen currently serves as board member of Nordic Association of Feminist and Gender Research (since 2020) and Sukupuolentutkimuksen Seura SUNS (2022), as editorial board member of Lambda Nordica (2017–), as international Editorial Board Member of Baltic Screen Media Review (2025–) and as advisory board member for NORA – Nordic Journal of Women's Studies 2007– and Kvinder, Køn & Forskning.

Koivunen has extensive teaching experience in gender studies, media studies and cultural studies. She is in charge of undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Gender Studies, teaching BA- and MA-level modules such as Gender, Representation and Media; Feminist Cultural Theory; Current Debates in Gender Studies and Gender, Art and Experience. She also a co-chair, with Professor Taru Leppänen (Åbo Akademi), of Joint Research Seminar in Gender Studies.