M.M.B. (Melissa) Luypaers, MA

Melissa Luypaers is a PhD candidate at the University of Groningen working on the Humour in Court project financed by the Dutch Research Council. They hold a Bachelor’s degree in European Languages and Cultures (with a focus on literary studies and Italian language), and a Research Master’s degree in Arts, Media and Literary Studies (with a focus on literary theory and the role of humour in communicating ideas). Their main research field is humour studies, and they are interested in the invisible (cultural) values and assumptions underlying the interpretation of humorous expressions. In their PhD they are focusing on the interpretive challenges courts of law face at the intersection of dark parody and intellectual property law.

December 2022 - November 2023 Member of the PhD Council of the Graduate School for the Humanities at the Faculty of Arts (Secretary)