Francois LaureysProject Developer

Francois Laureys works as a Project Developer at Waag Futurelab, where he focuses on projects relating to planetary imagination: the images, interests and facts that shape our perception of the planet; the crystallisation of this perception, which determines how we talk about the Earth and the decisions we make; and the technologies we use to shape and implement those decisions. 

In the 1980s, Francois studied Dutch Language and Literature and Mass Communication at the University of Amsterdam. During that same period, he worked at the squatters’ radio station Radio de Vrije Keijzer in Amsterdam, and was a co-founder of the independent radio stations Radio 100 and Amsterdam FM. As a radio journalist, he worked at Radio Noord-Holland, IKON and the World Service. From 2001 to 2015, he worked at IICD (International Institute for Communication and Development), which explored how information and communication technology could be used in development work in countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso and Bolivia. 

For the Canadian social enterprise Viamo, which reaches millions of people in developing countries via ‘standard’ (non-internet) mobile technology in local languages, he worked in Burkina Faso and Niger from 2017 until the end of 2025 as country director and sales manager. His interest in technology within the context of the digital public domain led him to move back to the Netherlands and join the Waag team.