Koen Vacano (1992) is a classicist and teaches Cultural History at Utrecht University. He explores new connections between antiquity and the present—from classical mythology to contemporary debates on media, technology, and gender—and questions how our image of the “classical” is constructed and shapes our thinking. He brings his expertise to a wide audience through the development of new educational materials (both academic and secondary), contributions to public media, and the organisation of public events (e.g. Cinema Mythologica). He is currently working on a trade edition of his dissertation on fantasy film franchises (Star Wars and others) and the epic tradition, which he defended cum laude at the University of Amsterdam in 2025.