Since 2010 Henk Borgdorff is professor of Research in the Arts at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague and visiting professor of Aesthetics, with focus on artistic research, at the Faulty of Fine, Applied and Performing Arts at the University of Gothenburg (Sweden). Borgdorff is founding editor of the Dutch Journal for Music Theory and co-founder of the practice-based doctoral program in music, Docartes, in Ghent (Belgium) and the master program Artistic Research at the University of Amsterdam.

Selected professional activities
Since 2009. Honorary member of the Dutch-Flemish Society for Music Theory
2008. Expert member of the 'Erkenningscommissie' of the Flemish Government (assessment of academisation of higher education in Flanders)
Since 2006. Member of Strategic Working Group on Research of the HBO-raad (The Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences)
2005-2009. Member of the Platform of professors at Universities of Applied Sciences and co-founder of the Forum voor praktijkgericht onderzoek van de HBO-raad [Forum for Practice-based Research of The Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Siences]
2004-2008. Member of MIDAS (Musical Institutions with Doctoral Arts Studies)
1998-2001. Secretary of the board of the Dutch Association of Aesthetics
Reviewer for the Austrian Science Fund, the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Academy of Finland.

Selected publications
2010. The Production of Knowledge in Artistic Research. In: Michael Biggs and Henrik Karlsson (eds.) The Routledge Companion to Research in the Arts. London and New York: Routledge, pp. 44-63.
2010. Research in the Conservatoire. Exploring the Middle Ground. With Michiel Schuijer Dissonance-Dissonanz. Swiss Music Journal for Research and Creation, no. 110.
2010. Where are we today. The State of the Art in Artistic Research. In: Torbjörn Lind (ed.) Forskning och kritik – granskning och recension av konstnärlig forskning. [Research and Criticism - Investigation and Review of Artistic Research]. Årsbok KFoU (Yearbook for Artistic Research), Stockholm: Vetenskapsrådet (Swedish Research Council), pp. 17-31.
2009. Artistic Research as Boundary Work. In: C. Caduff, F. Siegenthaler and T. Wälchli (eds.) Art and Artistic Research: Music, Visual Art, Design, Literature, Dance. Zürich: Zürcher Hochschule der Künste / Scheidegger & Spiess, pp. 72-79.
2009. Artistic Research within the Fields of Science. Senuous Knowledge 06, Bergen: Bergen National Academy of the Arts.
2009. Practice-based Research in the Arts. In: Cathy Brickwoo (ed.) Mapping E-Culture. Amsterdam: Virtueel Platform, pp. 97-103.
2009. Die Debatte über Forschung in der Kunst. In: Künstlerische Forschung. Positionen und Perspektiven. Zurich: Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (Institute for the Performing Arts and Film), pp. 23-51.
2008. Artistic Research and Academia: An Uneasy Relationship. In: Torbörn Lind (ed.) Autonomi och egenart : konstnärlig forskning söker identitet. [Autonomy and Inividuality - Artistic Research Seeks an Identity]. Årsbok KFoU (Yearbook for Artistic Research), Stockholm: Vetenskapsrådet (Swedish Research Council), pp. 82-97 and 192-208.
2007. Der Modus der Wissensproduktion in der künstlerischen Forschung. In: S. Gehm, P.Husemann, K. von Wilcke (eds.) Wissen in Bewegung. Bielefeld: Transcript, pp. 73-80.
2007. Artistic research and Pasteur's quadrant. In: Close encounters - artists on artistic research / Danshögskolan, Nämnden för konstnärligt utvecklingsarbete. Dans - forscknng och utveckling 2, Stockholm: Danshögskolan (University College of Dance), pp. 79-84.
2006. The Debate on Research in the Arts. Sensuous Knowledge 02, Bergen: Bergen National Academy of the Arts.
2004. The Conflict of the Faculties - On Theory, Practice and Research in Professional Art Academies. In: Anke Coumans and Helen Westgeest (eds.) The Reflexive Zone - Research into Theory in Practice. Utrecht: Hogeschool voor de Kunsten, pp. 117-124.

In all these considerations, we have to keep in mind that artistic research is not so much about 'theory' as about 'material thinking': the articulation of pre-reflexive knowledge and experience, embodied in art works and creative processes. It creates room for that which is un-thought: the idea that all things could be different. It actually seeks to postpone 'theory', to re-route judgments, opinions and conclusions, and even to delay or suspend them indefinitely. Artistic research is the deliberate articulation of this unfinished material thinking.