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The Team

The Research Team

Lead Investigators

 

Associate Professor Tanya Notley

Tanya Notley leads the Advancing Media Literacy research program at Western Sydney University. She has 20 years of experience working with NGOs, public institutions, universities and the United Nations in the area of communication, technology and social change. Tanya collaborates with organisations to address media literacy, human rights and social justice and to design communication initiatives for social impact and has published widely on these issues. Tanya co-founded the Australian Media Literacy Alliance (AMLA) and served as the inaugural Co-Chair (2020-2023).

 

Professor Michael Dezuanni

Michael Dezuanni is Program Leader for Digital Inclusion and Participation in the Digital Media Research Centre at Queensland University of Technology. He is also a Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child. Michael has been a media literacy educator in schools, a past president of Australian Teachers of Media (Queensland), a teacher educator in media literacy, and he was the expert adviser to the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) for the development of Media Arts in the Australian Curriculum.

 

Professor Sora Park

Sora Park is the Associate Dean of Research at the Faculty of Arts & Design, University of Canberra. She was former Director of the News & Media Research Centre. She is the project leader of the Digital News Report Australia, and author of Digital Capital (2017, Palgrave). She has published widely on the impact of digital technology on audiences, with a special focus on digital and social exclusion and the distribution of opportunities and privileges in society. She has extensive international experience in policy research and consultancy.

Project Researchers

 

Dr Simon Chambers

Simon Chambers’ research background is in quantitative and qualitative cultural sociology, with a particular interest in the dynamics of cultural fields and musical taste. He has previously worked at ABC Radio National and Classic FM and is currently a consultant analyst at both APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre. He has also worked on a range of Australian Research Council projects spanning Australian cultural fields, the value of music exports and the development of personalised recommendation algorithms.

 

Dr Aimee Hourigan

Dr Aimee Hourigan is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow within the Institute for Culture and Society at Western Sydney University. Her research explores socio-culturally grounded approaches to digital and media literacy development, with a particular emphasis on the experiences of marginalised, vulnerable, or excluded communities. Aimee brings insight and experience working as a project member on a related ARC project exploring experiences of inclusive digital media use in regional and rural Australia, and in low-income families. She also has extensive experience in stakeholder and industry engagement, having worked in partnership with public cultural institutions and international advocacy bodies in various capacities for the last 10 years. Aimee is the Post-doc reseracher on the project, Addressing Misinformation using Media Literacy with Public Cultural Institutions.

 

Dr Luigi Di Martino

Luigi Di Martino is an Institute Associate at the Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University. He teaches research methods and digital media at Western Sydney University, social media analysis and data visualisation at the School of the Arts and Media, University of New South Wales and public communication courses at the University of Technology Sydney. Luigi’s PhD study examined Public Diplomacy and Social Media.

 

Dr T.J. Thomson

Dr T.J. Thomson is a senior lecturer at RMIT University and an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow. As a former visual journalist and editor, T.J. brings a depth of media industry experience and expertise from an international scholarship on visual media. He is currently a core member of the Digital Ethnography Research Centre, an affiliated researcher of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, and an affiliate member of the Communication and Change Co-Lab. T.J. also brings insight and experience from a related ARC project, which seeks to amplify the voices of Australians living in aged care and includes a visual media analysis phase that he designed and leads. T.J. is a Chief Investigator on the project, Addressing Misinformation using Media Literacy with Public Cultural Institutions.

 

Dr Hua Flora Zhong

Hua Flora Zhong has rich experience in managing research activities throughout the life cycle of projects, and undertaking advanced quantitative and qualitative analysis for studies in the fields of education, applied linguistics, gender studies and educational psychology. Flora has also worked on a number of large scale research projects funded by the Australian Research Council in educational and social psychology, school education, and Indigenous education. As a Senior Research Officer at the Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University, Flora is responsible for providing high level research support and coordinating the day-to-day management of research activities at the Institute.

Post-graduate Researchers

Alex Wharton


Alex Wharton is a PhD candidate at Western Sydney University’s Institute of Culture and Society, with a research focus on family-based media practices in regional NSW. His current project considers the unique media literacy opportunities and challenges experienced by parents/caregivers in these unique settings. Alex's professional background is in education, having previously taught across all government and independent sectors and held leadership roles including Principal, curriculum author, and educational consultant. His work is driven by a commitment to advancing quality media literacy education in homes and schools.

Daisy De Windt

Daisy De Windt is a PhD candidate in the School of Humanities and Communication Arts. Her PhD project focuses on health misinformation in Australia: investigating the factors that increase susceptibility, and developing educational interventions to help address this growing problem. Daisy has worked in health communications for over 20 years, producing educational media for a range of audiences. She is passionate about addressing health information gaps to enable more people to make health decisions guided by empirical evidence.

Danielle McInness

Danielle McInness is Public Affairs and Communications Manager at Western Sydney University and a Higher Degree Research candidate with the Institute for Culture at Society. Danielle has worked at Western since 2005, in a range of roles including as Senior Media Officer, Executive Projects Officer, and Centre Manager of Centre for Western Sydney. Danielle completed a Bachelor of Communication (Writing and Publishing) in 2006, and was awarded a Dean’s Meal in 2013 for the Master of Convergent Media. She is presently in stage two of the Master of Research, where she is investigating the news media representation of Western Sydney.

Thilakshi Mallawa Arachchi

Thilakshi Mallawa Arachchi completed her PhD in 2005. Her PhD study explored how women from refugee backgrounds use social media for activism and community-building, and investigated how these communities can be better supported through co-designed media literacy education initiatives delivered by cultural organisations such as public libraries. She is currently a Sessional Academic at Western Sydney University, teaching across the School of Social Sciences, the School of Education, and the School of Humanities and Communication Arts. Thilakshi’s teaching and research are deeply rooted in social and climate justice advocacy, reflecting her dedication to empowering the resilience and resistance of marginalised communities.

Visiting Fellows

 

Marina Botelho, Visiting Research Fellow 2023-2024

Marina Botelho is a PhD research candidate at the Universidade Paulista (UNIP) in Brazil, where she holds a research fellowship. She is currently working on media literacy games for young people, specifically role-playing games (RPGs). She completed her Master Degree in Education degree (UFLA), where she worked on media literacy in early teacher education, in relation to Brazilian cinema. She is a specialist in Cinema and Audiovisual Language and has a Bachelor Degree in Communication (UFJF). Marina has dedicated the last few years to studying the Brazilian political scene during the Covid-19 pandemic, focusing on fake news and disinformation in social media, with some parallel studies on games for educational purposes and film. She has worked as a professor in several universities, as a journalist and as a writer. In 2023-2024 Marina will be at Western Sydney University to continue her research on media literacy for young people, comparing Brazilian and Australian needs and contexts. She will also contribute to ARC Project, Addressing Misinformation with Media Literacy Through Public Cultural Institutions

 

Sherri Hope Culver, Fullbright Scholar 2022-2023

Sherri Hope Culver serves as Director of the Center for Media and Information Literacy at Temple University, USA where she is an Associate Professor in the Klein College of Media and Communication. Prior to her academic appointment, Sherri worked in the media industry for over 25 years as a producer and television executive. Her industry experience ranges from serving as a reporter for a public television news organisation to writing and producing educational programs for young viewers. She currently produces and hosts the television series, Media Inside Out and the podcast series, Kids Talk Media.  In 2022-2023 Sherri will spend time at Western Sydney University as a Fulbright Scholar to study children’s television in Australia, Brazil and the UK.

 

Stephanie Niu, Fullbright Scholar 2023

Stephanie Niu is a poet and author of She Has Dreamt Again of Water, winner of the 2021 Diode Chapbook Prize. She received her degrees in symbolic systems and computer science from Stanford University. Her poems have appeared in Southeast Review, Poets Readings the News, Breakwater Review, and Storm Cellar, as well as scientific collaborations including the 11th Annual St. Louis River Summit. Stephanie will spend time at Western Sydney University as a Fulbright Scholar to focus on decolonizing historical narratives through digital techniques, including podcast production, map-making, and digital visualization. Stephanie will specifically examine Chinese mine laborers on Christmas Island.