Media & International Politics

Dmitry's research focuses on four main areas:

• public perception of international politics
• humour in political communication and international relations
• humanitarian crisis communication
• diasporas, social media and conflict.

Dmitry argues that public perceptions of international crises are shaped primarily by local anxieties, cultural memories, insecurities and hopes, and above all by the societal need for positive and continuous self-conceptions. This research offers an interdisciplinary integration of international relations, political psychology, memory, and media studies. 

Dmitry is also interested in how humanitarian agencies and media see the future of communication in crises; how these visions differ between western and non-western contexts; and how the appearance of digital humanitarians and direct communication channels redraws the traditional roles and powers of crisis actors. This research involves interviews and collaborations with major humanitarian agencies.

In recent years, Dmitry has also published articles on the use of humour in public diplomacy, and on the Armenian diaspora, social media mobilisation and conflict.

PhD supervision

Dmitry is particularly interested in hearing from research students focusing on the following areas:

• Media representations, self-representations, identity and public opinion 
• Public diplomacy and strategic narratives
• Collective memory and emotion
• Humour in political communication and international relations
• Humanitarian crises and communication
• Critical conceptions of security/insecurity in media and politics
• Diasporas, social media and conflict

Journalism, Radio and Communication

Emma's research interests lie in the role of radio and social media in fragile and conflict-affected zones. She is particularly interested in working with journalists, and also with audiences to ensure the information they receive is indeed what they want, when they want it, in the language they prefer and in a format they can identify with. 

She collaborates with international media development agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society organisations (CSOs) and humanitarian agencies operating in the Global South. She leads the FemmePowermentAfrique project, which conducts large-scale qualitative and quantitative participatory research into the impact of radio, and social media, on women's empowerment and youth in the Sahel. Her work with internally displaced populations and other marginalised and isolated communities in the Global South has enabled her recommendations to be adopted by many UN bodies. 

Emma’s main research focus is media development, media for development, audience research, and working with international and local agencies to promote and improve radio and social media as a communicative and peacebuilding tool.

In recent years, Emma has published books and articles on radio in conflict, women's empowerment, trauma sensitive communication and qualitative methodologies in the Global South.

PhD Supervision

Emma is particularly interested in hearing from research students focusing on the following areas:

• Radio, (social) media and international development 

• Humanitarian crises and communication 

• Audiences and audience feedback and associated methodologies

• The interaction between media and international development agencies, NGOs, and CSOs 

• The role of radio in a changing media context

• Women’s empowerment, international development and media

International Media Law

Irini's research interests are in the areas of European, international and comparative media law and policy. Her most recent publication is a monograph on Press Freedom and Regulation in a Digital Era: A Comparative Study (OUP, 2024). Her current collaborative research projects include 'Unreliable science: Unravelling the impact of mainstream media misrepresentation', funded by the Gulbenkian Foundation European Media and Information Fund, and 'Fact-checked - Understanding the Factors Behind Direct Fact-Check Rejection', funded by SPRITE+ (EPSRC).

PhD supervision

Irini is particularly interested in hearing from research students focusing on the following areas:

• International, European and comparative media law and policy
• Freedom of expression
• Information law

Journalism, Media and Communication

Bina’s research interests include media representation, the relationship between the media and democracy, critical incidents in journalism, race equality in journalism, media policy, and media self-coverage. Bina’s research and publications have contributed to knowledge relating to key debates about press regulation, the public interest, public trust, media ownership, political economy of the media, paradigm repair, boundary work, and the public sphere concept. Her research into how the British press covered the press standards debate that followed The News of the World phone hacking scandal and the Leveson Inquiry employed content and critical discourse analyses and was interdisciplinary in content drawing from law, politics and psychology in addition to journalism. 

Bina’s research entitled, A meta-analysis of key concerns and developments on media standards informed the 2020-2022 Impress Code Review. The research findings were used by the press regulator, Impress to modernise the Standards Code and make it fit for purpose in the digital age. Her research on the WhatsApp, Black People and COVID-19 Infodemic explored the WhatsApp Communications of Nigerians in the UK and Nigeria, using the methods of interviews and content analysis. This work made contributions to knowledge about effective health communications in times of Public Health Emergencies. Bina’s current research investigates race-based student activism in journalism, media, and communication schools in the UK using the methods of content analysis, interviews, and surveys. 

PhD Supervision 

• Bina is interested in supervising students in the following areas:
• The relationship between the media and democracy
• Race equality involving Black Asian and Minority Ethnic groups
• Media representation on diverse platforms
• Media self-coverage 
• Political economy of the media

Public Communication & Civil Development

Stef’s research interest and expertise focus on the role that public communication can play in the building, developing and diminishing of civil society. She has previously focused on the European Community and now focuses on post-civil war settings. For her the communicative spectrum of civil society includes non-mediated verbal communication, the factual and fictional media as well as the performative and the visual arts. She is equally interested in communicative spaces and the role of civility in civil society.

Stef is co-founder and Chair of the Hub for the Study of Hybrid Communication in Peacebuilding (HCPB). She is currently working on her third monograph ‘Communication in Peacebuilding. Civil wars, civility and safe spaces’ (under contract) and acting as an advisor for UN Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (UN DDP) and their public information module.

PhD supervision

Stef is particularly interested in hearing from research students focusing on the following areas:

• The role of public communication (as conceived above) in peacebuilding
• The role of civility in civil societies
• Communicative spaces

I am an interdisciplinary researcher who explores the impact of health communication on social inequalities. This has included research on menstrual health, menopause, childbirth, and energy limiting conditions. More broadly, I have published research is in the areas of sociology, communication, gender studies, postcolonial studies, and French studies. I am happy to supervise sociological or communication (including journalism) PhD projects on topics related to feminism, health & wellbeing, gender, and advocacy.

Journalism, its history and the visual.

James is a journalism historian and writer with expertise in twenty and twenty-first century print media, with a special interest in newspaper and magazine topical cartoons. His work considers the role of journalism over the past 100 years through the prism of social context. He has principally written about how the visual is utilised within a textual medium and how journalism and history both inform and influence contemporary journalism. 

James’ current research focuses on investigating how social history is reflected in the democratisation of the popular press and how journalistic discourse operates within war and conflict paradigms. 

PhD supervision

James is particularly interested in hearing from research students writing on the following areas:

• Journalism history from 1880
• The role of journalism during war and conflicts
• The popular press in Britain
• Newspaper and magazine topical news cartoons
• Social history and the press