Research
Most of my research is on knowledge graphs and multimodal ML for cultural heritage, with some work on data interoperability in human biomonitoring.
Research themes
Cultural heritage
Heritage institutions hold vast collections of digitised objects — paintings, manuscripts, archaeological finds — that are rich in meaning but often poorly connected. I work on making that cultural knowledge more discoverable and reusable, using knowledge graphs to link objects across collections and multimodal ML to bridge the gap between visual content and structured metadata.
Knowledge graphs
Knowledge graphs provide a principled way to represent, integrate, and query heterogeneous knowledge. My work focuses on building and using KGs that combine domain expertise with data-driven methods — from ontology design and linked data publishing to knowledge-enhanced retrieval and recommendation.
Biomonitoring
Human biomonitoring studies generate complex datasets across multiple European research consortia. During my time at VITO, I worked on improving the interoperability of these datasets — harmonising variables, aligning vocabularies, and building tools that let researchers query across study boundaries.
Network security
My master's thesis explored deep reinforcement learning for network intrusion detection. While my focus has since shifted, this work gave me a solid grounding in applied ML and a lasting interest in how intelligent agents can operate in adversarial environments.
Highlights
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ArtKB: A Multimodal Art Knowledge Base for Cultural Heritage
European Semantic Web Conference (ESWC), pp. 58–75
@inproceedings{blanco2026artkb, title={ArtKB: A Multimodal Art Knowledge Base for Cultural Heritage}, author={Blanco, G. and Monopoli, T. and D'Asaro, F. and Peeters, Ruben and Duan, X. and Dimou, A. and Rizzo, G.}, booktitle={European Semantic Web Conference (ESWC)}, pages={58--75}, year={2026} } -
Enhancing data interoperability in human biomonitoring studies: the HBM data toolkit
International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, vol. 270, 114669
@article{peeters2025hbm, title={Enhancing Data Interoperability in Human Biomonitoring Studies: The HBM Data Toolkit}, author={Peeters, Ruben and Martin, L. R. and Zhang, F. and Willems, H. and Gilles, L. and Theunis, J. and Bessems, J. and others}, journal={International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health}, volume={270}, pages={114669}, year={2025} } -
REEVALUATE: Framework for safe, open, collaborative and inclusive digitization and management of cultural heritage
EU Open Research Repository
@techreport{peeters2025reevaluate, title={REEVALUATE: Framework for Safe, Open, Collaborative and Inclusive Digitization and Management of Cultural Heritage}, author={Peeters, Ruben and Blanco, G. and Drosou, A. and Duan, X. and Monopoli, T. and Rizzo, G. and Dimou, A.}, institution={EU Open Research Repository}, year={2025} }
Research
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Knowledge-Graph-Driven Personalised Recommendation for Cultural Heritage Artefacts
DHBenelux 2026, Maastricht, the Netherlands (3–5 June)
@inproceedings{duan2026kgdriven, title={Knowledge-Graph-Driven Personalised Recommendation for Cultural Heritage Artefacts}, author={Duan, X. and Peeters, Ruben and Dimou, A.}, booktitle={DHBenelux 2026}, year={2026} } -
From Silos to Semantics: A Multimodal, Rights-Aware Ecosystem for Cultural Heritage
DHBenelux 2026, Maastricht, the Netherlands (3–5 June)
@inproceedings{peeters2026silos, title={From Silos to Semantics: A Multimodal, Rights-Aware Ecosystem for Cultural Heritage}, author={Peeters, Ruben and Duan, X. and Dimou, A.}, booktitle={DHBenelux 2026}, year={2026} } -
ArtKB: A Multimodal Art Knowledge Base for Cultural Heritage
European Semantic Web Conference (ESWC), pp. 58–75
@inproceedings{blanco2026artkb, title={ArtKB: A Multimodal Art Knowledge Base for Cultural Heritage}, author={Blanco, G. and Monopoli, T. and D'Asaro, F. and Peeters, Ruben and Duan, X. and Dimou, A. and Rizzo, G.}, booktitle={European Semantic Web Conference (ESWC)}, pages={58--75}, year={2026} } -
Knowledge-enhanced multimodal retrieval over cultural heritage knowledge graphs
European Semantic Web Conference (ESWC), pp. 488–506
@inproceedings{duan2026knowledge, title={Knowledge-Enhanced Multimodal Retrieval over Cultural Heritage Knowledge Graphs}, author={Duan, X. and D'Asaro, F. and Peeters, Ruben and Blanco, G. and Monopoli, T. and Rizzo, G. and Dimou, A.}, booktitle={European Semantic Web Conference (ESWC)}, pages={488--506}, year={2026} } -
Rights to Richness: Connecting Cultural Artefacts with Rights and Context
Workshop proceedings
@inproceedings{peeters2025rights, title={Rights to Richness: Connecting Cultural Artefacts with Rights and Context}, author={Peeters, Ruben and Blanco, G. and Botsoglou, G. and Davis, I. and Duan, X. and Fuhrhop, C. and others}, booktitle={Workshop Proceedings}, year={2025} } -
Comprehensive Guide of the Benefits, Opportunities, Risks and Gaps in the Management of Cultural Heritage Digitisation: A Critical Literature Review
3D Research Challenges in Cultural Heritage VI
@incollection{drabczyk2025comprehensive, title={Comprehensive Guide of the Benefits, Opportunities, Risks and Gaps in the Management of Cultural Heritage Digitisation: A Critical Literature Review}, author={Drabczyk, M. and Rendina, M. and Manfredini, F. and Dimou, A. and Peeters, Ruben and de Koning, J. and others}, booktitle={3D Research Challenges in Cultural Heritage VI}, year={2025} } -
Enhancing data interoperability in human biomonitoring studies: the HBM data toolkit
International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, vol. 270, 114669
@article{peeters2025hbm, title={Enhancing Data Interoperability in Human Biomonitoring Studies: The HBM Data Toolkit}, author={Peeters, Ruben and Martin, L. R. and Zhang, F. and Willems, H. and Gilles, L. and Theunis, J. and Bessems, J. and others}, journal={International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health}, volume={270}, pages={114669}, year={2025} } -
REEVALUATE: Framework for safe, open, collaborative and inclusive digitization and management of cultural heritage
EU Open Research Repository
@techreport{peeters2025reevaluate, title={REEVALUATE: Framework for Safe, Open, Collaborative and Inclusive Digitization and Management of Cultural Heritage}, author={Peeters, Ruben and Blanco, G. and Drosou, A. and Duan, X. and Monopoli, T. and Rizzo, G. and Dimou, A.}, institution={EU Open Research Repository}, year={2025} } -
Deep reinforcement learning for network intrusion
Master's thesis, KU Leuven
@mastersthesis{peeters2022deep, title={Deep Reinforcement Learning for Network Intrusion}, author={Peeters, Ruben}, school={KU Leuven}, year={2022} }