Media & Communications - Edinburgh Futures Institute

“Research into media and communications research is thriving at Edinburgh! We have around 50 members, working in many different Schools across the university. We have specialist strands in data, digital design, journalism, political communications, screen studies and social media. We collaborate on research grants, to supervise PhD students, and help develop each other’s work.”
Dr Kate Wright, Media and Communications Cluster Lead

We take a unique, interdisciplinary approach to this work, bringing together media experts from across the College and beyond. Some of our members take media and communications as their object of study, whilst others engage in research as a form of media practice. Our outlook is global. We study Scottish and British media, as well as media in Africa, East and South Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and the Pacific. We are all profoundly interested in meaning-making, trust and the exercise of power.

Projects Meet our researchers Get in touch

Image credit: MF3d via Getty Images

Projects

These projects give you an indication of the range of research carried out by Media and Communications researchers at Edinburgh. They include more traditional research projects and research-as-practice.

An elderly woman wearing a headscarf and brown coat sits on a wooden bench in a tent. She holds a small glass in one hand and her passport in the other. She has a blue striped bag next to her. The background shows packed items and yellow ventilation tubes.

How media influences governments’ allocation of humanitarian aid

A young person with long, blonde hair lies on a pillow, wearing a dark shirt. They appear to be looking off to the side in deep thought. The lighting has a blueish tint, giving the scene a calm and reflective mood.

Signs and Gestures

A digital billboard at night shows a vibrant advertisement featuring a person in a light green jacket against a bright pink and blue background. The text reads, "MY MONEY IS ON THE MOVE." The scene is reflected in glass in front of the billboard.

Telling Tales of Engagement: Poetic Expressions of Smart Donations with Oxfam

A group of women and a child in colorful clothing sit together outdoors on a sunny day. One woman is writing in a notebook, while the others look on attentively. In the background, more people stand and the scene appears to be set in a rural area.

What is humanitarian news? A multi-sited study of how journalists define, debate and reproduce the boundaries of humanitarianism

SMS:Africa – Social Media and Security in Africa

A graph visualizing the timeline of different patient symptoms from living with progressive disease to the dying phase. It includes peaks for physical, psychological, social, and spiritual symptoms, transitioning from treatment stages to end-of-life phases.

SOCIAM: The Theory and Practice of Social Machines

A moose stands partially hidden in tall grass and shrubs at night. Its antlers are visible above the vegetation, blending into the dimly lit natural surroundings. The scene is shrouded in darkness, creating a mysterious and serene atmosphere.

Becoming Animal: “A thought-provoking, peculiar exploration of nature”

A person with dark hair is holding a large seashell up to their ear while looking down slightly. The sky is clear and blue in the background.

Kii Nche Ndutsa (Time and the Seashell)

Meet our researchers

All

Journalism

Social Media

Screen Studies

Digital Design

Data

Political Communications

Albert Sharra

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Alex Nevill

ECA Director of Internationalisation | Lecturer in Film & Moving Image

Edinburgh College of Art

Alexis Grohmann

Professor of Contemporary Spanish Literature | Cervantes Professor

School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

Andrew Clausen

Senior Lecturer

School of Economics

Andrew Connor

Lecturer in Design and Digital Media

Edinburgh College of Art

Annika Bergman Rosamond

Senior Lecturer in International Relations and Gender

Ben Collier

Lecturer in Digital Methods

Ben Marder

Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Director of PGR Programmes

Business School

Benjamin Bach

College of Science & Engineering School of Informatics

Bronwyn Jones

Translational Fellow

Edinburgh College of Art

Charlotte Gleghorn

Senior Lecturer in Latin American Film Studies

School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

Chiara Bonacchi

Chancellor’s Fellow in Heritage, Text and Data Mining | Senior Lecturer in Heritage

School of History, Classics and Archaeology

Clare Llewellyn

Lecture in Governance, Technology and Data

Claudia Pagliari

Senior Lecturer

Usher Institute

Corentin Curchod

Senior Lecturer in Strategic Management and Organization

Business School

Cristian Vaccari

Chair in Future Governance and Policy and Technology

David Sorfa

Senior Lecturer in Film Studies

School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

Ebithal Mahadeen

Lecturer in Gender and Media Studies

School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

Emma Davie

Reader

Edinburgh College of Art

Emma Hunter

Professor of Global and African History

School of History, Classics and Archaeology

Eric Laurier

Reader in Geography and Interaction

College of Science & Engineering School of GeoSciences

Ewa Luger

Chair of Human-Data Interaction

Edinburgh College of Art

George Karekwaivanane

Senior Lecturer in African Studies

Huw Davies

Lecturer in Digital Education (Data and Society)

Moray House School of Education and Sport

Ian Rothwell

Lecturer in Contemporary Art History and Digital Culture

Edinburgh College of Art

John Lee

Professor of Digital Media

Edinburgh College of Art

John Vines

Centre Co-Director, Centre for Investing Innovation | Chair of Design Informatics

School of Informatics

Jonny Murray

Senior Lecturer in Film and Visual Culture

Edinburgh College of Art

Jules Rawlinson

Senior Lecturer

Edinburgh College of Art

Julie Cupples

Professor and Personal Chair of Human Geography & Cultural Studies

College of Science & Engineering School of GeoSciences

Karen Gregory

Senior Lecturer in Sociology

Black and white portrait of a person with short, wavy hair wearing a dark blazer, a light blouse, and a thin necklace. The person is smiling slightly and looking directly at the camera against a solid background.

Kate Wright

Senior Lecturer (Assoc Prof) in Media and Communication

Lachlan Urquhart

Senior Lecturer in Technology Law and Human Computer Interaction

School of Law

Laura Cram

Professor of European Politics and Director of NRLabs Neuropolitics Research

Lotte Hoek

Professor of Cultural Anthropology

Louise Connelly

Lecturer in Academic Development

Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies

A woman with long, light brown hair is smiling at the camera. She is wearing a dark-colored top and has a light complexion. The background is plain and white.

Maggie Dwyer

Lecturer in African Studies and International Development

Marion Schmid

Professor of French Literature and Film

School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

Merlyn Seller

Lecturer in Design and Screen Cultures

Edinburgh College of Art

Morgan Currie

Senior Lecturer in Data and Society

Nacim Pak-Shiraz

Professor of Cinema and Iran

School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

Nick Prior

Professor of Cultural Sociology

Oliver Escobar

Chair of Public Policy and Democratic Innovation

Paulo Cavaliere

Senior Lecturer in Digital Media and IT Law

School of Law

Rachael Craufurd Smith

Reader in EU Law

School of Law

Richard Coyne

Professor of Architectural Computing

Edinburgh College of Art

Robin Hill

Senior Laboratory Manager

College of Science & Engineering School of Informatics

Sarah Liu

Senior Lecturer in Gender and Politics

Smita Kheria

Senior Lecturer in Intellectual Property Law

School of Law

Thomas Molony

Senior Lecturer in African Studies

Tom Boylston

Senior Lecturer in Social Anthropology

Walid Magdy

Reader | Associate Professor | Founder and Director of Social Media Analysis and Support for Humanity

College of Science & Engineering School of Informatics

Wilfried Swenden

Professor of South Asian and Comparative Politics

Xuelei Huang

Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies

School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

We carry out research into the political economies of journalism, news organisations, management and elites. We also study changes in journalistic practice, including historical shifts, the entrance of new actors into contemporary journalism, and the rapidly changing relationship of journalism to data and social media. We are interested in the relationship of journalism to different forms of advocacy, including humanitarian and human rights activism, party politics and the creation of ‘fake news’. Finally, our members use innovative, interdisciplinary methods to study audience responses to news and current affairs coverage.

Albert Sharra

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Alexis Grohmann

Professor of Contemporary Spanish Literature | Cervantes Professor

School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

Andrew Clausen

Senior Lecturer

School of Economics

Ben Collier

Lecturer in Digital Methods

Bronwyn Jones

Translational Fellow

Edinburgh College of Art

Corentin Curchod

Senior Lecturer in Strategic Management and Organization

Business School

Ebithal Mahadeen

Lecturer in Gender and Media Studies

School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

Emma Hunter

Professor of Global and African History

School of History, Classics and Archaeology

Ewa Luger

Chair of Human-Data Interaction

Edinburgh College of Art

Kate Wright

Senior Lecturer (Assoc Prof) in Media and Communication

Paulo Cavaliere

Senior Lecturer in Digital Media and IT Law

School of Law

Rachael Craufurd Smith

Reader in EU Law

School of Law

Sarah Liu

Senior Lecturer in Gender and Politics

Walid Magdy

Reader | Associate Professor | Founder and Director of Social Media Analysis and Support for Humanity

College of Science & Engineering School of Informatics

Wilfried Swenden

Professor of South Asian and Comparative Politics

We study how social media shapes, and is shaped by, a variety of different issues and practices. These include military conflict and interpersonal violence, health beliefs and behaviour, and political attitudes or events, such as those associated with Brexit. Our members’ interdisciplinary research explores how social media captures audience members’ attention and shapes their emotional and cognitive responses in ways which shape the decisions they make. We also study the cultural and sociological aspects of social media, including humour and ‘digital detoxification’ practices. Some researchers engage with industry bodies to develop software to better cope with the more problematic aspects of social media, such as the dissemination of ‘fake news’.

Albert Sharra

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Ben Collier

Lecturer in Digital Methods

Ben Marder

Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Director of PGR Programmes

Business School

Chiara Bonacchi

Chancellor’s Fellow in Heritage, Text and Data Mining | Senior Lecturer in Heritage

School of History, Classics and Archaeology

Clare Llewellyn

Lecture in Governance, Technology and Data

Claudia Pagliari

Senior Lecturer

Usher Institute

Corentin Curchod

Senior Lecturer in Strategic Management and Organization

Business School

Cristian Vaccari

Chair in Future Governance and Policy and Technology

Ebithal Mahadeen

Lecturer in Gender and Media Studies

School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

Eric Laurier

Reader in Geography and Interaction

College of Science & Engineering School of GeoSciences

George Karekwaivanane

Senior Lecturer in African Studies

Ian Rothwell

Lecturer in Contemporary Art History and Digital Culture

Edinburgh College of Art

John Lee

Professor of Digital Media

Edinburgh College of Art

John Vines

Centre Co-Director, Centre for Investing Innovation | Chair of Design Informatics

School of Informatics

Julie Cupples

Professor and Personal Chair of Human Geography & Cultural Studies

College of Science & Engineering School of GeoSciences

Lachlan Urquhart

Senior Lecturer in Technology Law and Human Computer Interaction

School of Law

Laura Cram

Professor of European Politics and Director of NRLabs Neuropolitics Research

Louise Connelly

Lecturer in Academic Development

Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies

Maggie Dwyer

Lecturer in African Studies and International Development

Nick Prior

Professor of Cultural Sociology

Robin Hill

Senior Laboratory Manager

College of Science & Engineering School of Informatics

Smita Kheria

Senior Lecturer in Intellectual Property Law

School of Law

Thomas Molony

Senior Lecturer in African Studies

Walid Magdy

Reader | Associate Professor | Founder and Director of Social Media Analysis and Support for Humanity

College of Science & Engineering School of Informatics

Wilfried Swenden

Professor of South Asian and Comparative Politics

Our members study cinema, documentary film, television and other screen-based media. Some scholars are practitioners who engage in award-winning forms of research-as-practice. Others undertake empirical and theoretical investigations of the ways in which the screen animates social, political, aesthetic and economic relations, drawing on a range of disciplinary and critical perspectives from area studies, the arts and humanities, social anthropology, human geography, international development, and participatory politics.

Alex Nevill

ECA Director of Internationalisation | Lecturer in Film & Moving Image

Edinburgh College of Art

Andrew Connor

Lecturer in Design and Digital Media

Edinburgh College of Art

Charlotte Gleghorn

Senior Lecturer in Latin American Film Studies

School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

David Sorfa

Senior Lecturer in Film Studies

School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

Emma Davie

Reader

Edinburgh College of Art

Ian Rothwell

Lecturer in Contemporary Art History and Digital Culture

Edinburgh College of Art

Jonny Murray

Senior Lecturer in Film and Visual Culture

Edinburgh College of Art

Jules Rawlinson

Senior Lecturer

Edinburgh College of Art

Julie Cupples

Professor and Personal Chair of Human Geography & Cultural Studies

College of Science & Engineering School of GeoSciences

Lotte Hoek

Professor of Cultural Anthropology

Marion Schmid

Professor of French Literature and Film

School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

Merlyn Seller

Lecturer in Design and Screen Cultures

Edinburgh College of Art

Nacim Pak-Shiraz

Professor of Cinema and Iran

School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

Wilfried Swenden

Professor of South Asian and Comparative Politics

Xuelei Huang

Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies

School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

In addition to our work on the visual representation of data, cluster members analyse and design different kinds of digital media, including comics, games and immersive media. They also study how digital media shape the lived experiences, cultures and practices of users, including their interactions with space and place. Finally, cluster members are interested in using digital design to solve problems in the ‘real world’, as well as supporting those working in these areas within the creative industries in several ways, including investigating the application of copyright within online media.

Alex Nevill

ECA Director of Internationalisation | Lecturer in Film & Moving Image

Edinburgh College of Art

Andrew Connor

Lecturer in Design and Digital Media

Edinburgh College of Art

Ewa Luger

Chair of Human-Data Interaction

Edinburgh College of Art

Ian Rothwell

Lecturer in Contemporary Art History and Digital Culture

Edinburgh College of Art

John Lee

Professor of Digital Media

Edinburgh College of Art

John Vines

Centre Co-Director, Centre for Investing Innovation | Chair of Design Informatics

School of Informatics

Jules Rawlinson

Senior Lecturer

Edinburgh College of Art

Lachlan Urquhart

Senior Lecturer in Technology Law and Human Computer Interaction

School of Law

Merlyn Seller

Lecturer in Design and Screen Cultures

Edinburgh College of Art

Nick Prior

Professor of Cultural Sociology

Rachael Craufurd Smith

Reader in EU Law

School of Law

Richard Coyne

Professor of Architectural Computing

Edinburgh College of Art

Robin Hill

Senior Laboratory Manager

College of Science & Engineering School of Informatics

Wilfried Swenden

Professor of South Asian and Comparative Politics

We are interested in how data can be communicated through different kinds of media, how data structures different modes of digital communication, and the effects of data on other socio-economic practices. Our members design different ways to represent data visually, and to encourage ethical participation in the creation of data infrastructure and datasets. We also critique the ways in which algorithms and other kinds of data shape different forms of labour, surveillance, messaging, governance and accountability processes. Finally, our members study how data informs political activism and personal decision-making, as well as the policies of media and other organisations.

Ben Collier

Lecturer in Digital Methods

Benjamin Bach

College of Science & Engineering School of Informatics

Chiara Bonacchi

Chancellor’s Fellow in Heritage, Text and Data Mining | Senior Lecturer in Heritage

School of History, Classics and Archaeology

Clare Llewellyn

Lecture in Governance, Technology and Data

Claudia Pagliari

Senior Lecturer

Usher Institute

Corentin Curchod

Senior Lecturer in Strategic Management and Organization

Business School

Ewa Luger

Chair of Human-Data Interaction

Edinburgh College of Art

John Lee

Professor of Digital Media

Edinburgh College of Art

Jules Rawlinson

Senior Lecturer

Edinburgh College of Art

Lachlan Urquhart

Senior Lecturer in Technology Law and Human Computer Interaction

School of Law

Laura Cram

Professor of European Politics and Director of NRLabs Neuropolitics Research

Robin Hill

Senior Laboratory Manager

College of Science & Engineering School of Informatics

Sarah Liu

Senior Lecturer in Gender and Politics

Wilfried Swenden

Professor of South Asian and Comparative Politics

We define political communication broadly: researching the manifold ways in which media shape, and are shaped by, political processes. This includes analysing how social and mainstream media support or undermine effective political participation in Scotland and beyond. It also includes interrogating how media constructs relations between nation states, communities, genders, political parties and other interest groups, especially during armed conflict and post-conflict peace processes. Finally, the persuasive properties of media are a key area of investigation for our researchers, including so-called ‘fake news’, political protests, and other forms of mediated activism, including humanitarian and human rights advocacy.

Albert Sharra

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Annika Bergman Rosamond

Senior Lecturer in International Relations and Gender

Ben Collier

Lecturer in Digital Methods

Ben Marder

Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Director of PGR Programmes

Business School

Charlotte Gleghorn

Senior Lecturer in Latin American Film Studies

School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

Chiara Bonacchi

Chancellor’s Fellow in Heritage, Text and Data Mining | Senior Lecturer in Heritage

School of History, Classics and Archaeology

Clare Llewellyn

Lecture in Governance, Technology and Data

Cristian Vaccari

Chair in Future Governance and Policy and Technology

Ebithal Mahadeen

Lecturer in Gender and Media Studies

School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

Emma Hunter

Professor of Global and African History

School of History, Classics and Archaeology

George Karekwaivanane

Senior Lecturer in African Studies

Julie Cupples

Professor and Personal Chair of Human Geography & Cultural Studies

College of Science & Engineering School of GeoSciences

Kate Wright

Senior Lecturer (Assoc Prof) in Media and Communication

Laura Cram

Professor of European Politics and Director of NRLabs Neuropolitics Research

Oliver Escobar

Chair of Public Policy and Democratic Innovation

Robin Hill

Senior Laboratory Manager

College of Science & Engineering School of Informatics

Sarah Liu

Senior Lecturer in Gender and Politics

Thomas Molony

Senior Lecturer in African Studies

Walid Magdy

Reader | Associate Professor | Founder and Director of Social Media Analysis and Support for Humanity

College of Science & Engineering School of Informatics

Wilfried Swenden

Professor of South Asian and Comparative Politics

Our external researchers

Ella McPherson
Associate Professor of the Sociology of New Media and Digital Technology, University of Cambridge

Nikki Usher
Associate Professor, Communication, University of San Diego

Daniel Kreiss
Edgar Thomas Cato Distinguished Professor, Hussman School of Media and Journalism. Principal Researcher, Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Work with us

We are open to potential collaborations with other institutions and/or industry partners.

We do not currently offer a Media Communications PhD however we can supervise related studies in our respective disciplines. We welcome contact from potential PhD candidates, who are invited to directly contact relevant researchers. In keeping with our interdisciplinary approach, we encourage applicants to consider having co-supervisors in different disciplines.

Get in touch

Discover more at Edinburgh Futures Institute

RESEARCH

A DJ standing over his decks, red tint over image.

Creative Industries

Brick clocktower and front entrance of EFI building.

Our new home

Media & Commun­ications

Projects

How media influences governments’ allocation of humanitarian aid

Signs and Gestures

Telling Tales of Engagement: Poetic Expressions of Smart Donations with Oxfam

What is humanitarian news? A multi-sited study of how journalists define, debate and reproduce the boundaries of humanitarianism

SMS:Africa – Social Media and Security in Africa

SOCIAM: The Theory and Practice of Social Machines

Becoming Animal: “A thought-provoking, peculiar exploration of nature”

Kii Nche Ndutsa (Time and the Seashell)

Meet our researchers

Albert Sharra

Alex Nevill

Alexis Grohmann

Andrew Clausen

Andrew Connor

Annika Bergman Rosamond

Ben Collier

Ben Marder

Benjamin Bach

Bronwyn Jones

Charlotte Gleghorn

Chiara Bonacchi

Christian Ilbury

Clare Llewellyn

Claudia Pagliari

Corentin Curchod

Cristian Vaccari

David Sorfa

Ebithal Mahadeen

Emma Davie

Emma Hunter

Eric Laurier

Ewa Luger

Ewelina Lacka

George Karekwaivanane

Huw Davies

Ian Rothwell

John Lee

John Vines

Jonny Murray

Jules Rawlinson

Julie Cupples

Karen Gregory

Kate Wright

Kholoud Al-Ajarma

Lachlan Urquhart

Laura Cram

Lotte Hoek

Louise Connelly

Maggie Dwyer

Marion Schmid

Merlyn Seller

Morgan Currie

Nacim Pak-Shiraz

Nason Maani

Nick Prior

Oliver Escobar

Patrick Theiner

Paulo Cavaliere

Rachael Craufurd Smith

Rahul Sambaraju

Richard Coyne

Robert Dunbar

Robin Hill

Sarah Liu

Sarah MacIsaac

Smita Kheria

Sumin Zhao

Thomas Molony

Tom Boylston

Tuğrulcan Elmas

Walid Magdy

Wilfried Swenden

Xuelei Huang

Albert Sharra

Alexis Grohmann

Andrew Clausen

Ben Collier

Bronwyn Jones

Media &
Communications