David Campbell, PhD

David Campbell is an educator with a uniquely varied history of research, writing, strategy, and management within academia, government, and non-profit organizations. He works as the Education Director for The VII Foundation, with responsibility for VII Academy, VII Insider, and VII Community.

David began his career as a press secretary and speech writer for an Australian senator before completing a PhD in International Relations from the Australia National University in 1990. For twenty-five years, he taught visual culture, geography, and politics at universities in the USA, Australia, and the UK, focusing on the power and impact of visual journalism, changes in the media economy, and the global political context. Between June 2015 and July 2020, David worked in senior management at the World Press Photo Foundation in Amsterdam, first as the Director of Communications and Engagement and then as the Director of Programs and Outreach.

David is an Honorary Professor in Political Science and International Studies at the University of Queensland, Australia, and a Visiting Professor at the Northern Photography Centre at the University of Sunderland, U.K. He has written or edited six books, published over 60 refereed articles, and researched and curated three large visual projects (Atrocity, Memory, Photography, Imaging Famine, and The Visual Economy of HIV-AIDS).