Rutger van der Hoeven is a cultural historian who has worked at Utrecht University since 2003, currently as assistant professor (permanent position). He has lectured on a wide range of subjects in European and American history, on professional writing, and on the history of photography - the subject of his dissertation. He was a fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study (NIAS), visiting professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) and visiting professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Apart from his position at Utrecht University, Rutger van der Hoeven is a staff writer at De Groene Amsterdammer, the oldest current affairs magazine in the Netherlands. He writes the foreign affairs column there, and hosts the podcast Buitenlandse Zaken. He occasionally lectures in public venues, and regularly appears as a commentator on Dutch public radio (Radio 1). 

Previously taught courses include: Photography and History, Writing for a Non-Academic Audience, The Vietnam War: Past and Present, The Selling of the President: American Presidential Elections 1952-2008, European Cultures and Identities, History and Culture of the Netherlands, 1500 – present, Photography in American History, European Politics and Economy, Photography and Visual Culture, American History and Culture after 1900, and others.