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Communication Studies

This category covers:

Audience Analysis
Comparative Media Systems
Information and Communication Technologies
International Communication
Internet-based Alternative Journalism
Journalism and Politics
Journalism Philosophies
Journalism Studies
Journalism Values and Ethics

Media and Public Opinion
Media Effects
Media Sociology and Systems
Mediated Communication
News Framing
News Media and Public Opinion
Perception of News Media
Perception of News Media
Quantitative Research Methods

Name	Research Interests
Assoc Prof Adam Joel Knee	Current research interests include new Southeast Asian cinemas (especially Thai cinema); film genre (especially horror and science fiction) and genre theory; race and gender in American film; film stardom; American television in the 1950s-60s.
Prof Ang Peng Hwa	Ang Peng Hwa's research area is internet governance and media law and policy.
Asst Prof Arul Indrasen Chib	Dr. Arul Chib focuses on mobile phone healthcare systems, and pursues action-oriented research in varied cross-cultural contexts, particularly in resource-constrained environments. He investigates the key factors influencing the adoption of technology for positive health outcomes, and has engaged in the design and development of healthcare technology systems spanning online and mobile platforms. Global collaborations with IDRC, UNICEF, and UNFPA have led to research grants of S$3.7Mn. His work with Acehnese midwives has led to great interest in the field of mobile health (mHealth) technologies. Of note is that the original JAVA application for mobile phones was developed in 2006, well in advance of the latest innovations in mobile-based applications. This ground-breaking technology to improve maternal and infant health was developed for 223 rural midwives based in the tsunami-affected region of Aceh Besar, Indonesia, impacting as many as 600 villages. This ICT project, facilitated by cell phones and data sending mobile technology, uses the existing pool of knowledge in the rural health system to bolster local resources. Prior to working on tsunami relief, Dr. Chib collaborated with a Peruvian NGO, Instituto Peruano de Paternidad Responsable, to develop an interactive computer-based multimedia game to deliver information about sexual and reproductive health, particularly about HIV/AIDS. Dr. Chib is currently extending his work in mHealth by examining issues of power and influence caused by the mobile phone usage amongst community healthcare workers in Papaua New Guinea, Thailand, India, and China. Dr. Chib's contributions have led to a number of research awards, including the 2011 Prosper.NET-Scopus Award for the use of ICTs for sustainable development. This award was accompanied by a fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, one of the highest honours within the European scholarly tradition. He has been awarded fellowships at Ludwig Maxmilians University and University of Southern California, and the Best Graduate Student Award of S. I. Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University. He serves on the editorial boards of Human Communication Research and Communication Yearbook, the flagship publications of the International Communication Association. Chib has published in the best refereed journals, such as the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, ranked first amongst Thompson Reuters communication journals, the Journal of Health Communication, ranked first amongst health communication journals, and Information Technologies & International Development, ranked first amongst journals in the field of information and communication technologies for development. He has contributed to book chapters from leading publishers such as Cambridge Scholars, Hampton Press, Springer, and Taylor & Francis. In 2012, along with Dr. Roger Harris, he released the edited volume, Linking Research to Practice (2012, ISEAS Singapore). His research papers have been adopted as syllabi in institutions in Copenhagen, Geneva, Manila, and Virginia. He is currently working on the authored book, mHealth in Developing Countries (forthcoming, Taylor & Francis UK). Dr. Chib’s work in as many as nine countries has been profiled in media outlets ranging from the United Nations Chronicle to the Singaporean press. He has been a guest speaker at numerous global events, and in 2012, gave the keynote speech at the Media Health Communication Conference in Munich. He is a member of the organizing committees of the IFIP 8.6 2013 and ICTD 2012 conferences. As Assistant Director at the Singapore Internet Research Center, Dr. Chib leads the Strengthening Information Society Research Capacity Alliance programme. This multi-year capacity building programme has mentored 30 emerging researchers in Asia, Africa and Latin America, and organized training events in Atlanta, Bangkok, Jamaica, and Singapore.
Asst Prof Augustine Pang	Crisis management and communication Image management and repair Media management Public relations Journalism
Assoc Prof Benjamin Hill Detenber	Dr. Detenber's research interests include the following: Cognitive and Emotional Responses to Media Use and Impact of Information and Communication Technologies Internet Studies Computer-mediated Communication Media and Public Opinion Political Communication Quantitative Research Methods
Asst Prof Bradley C Freeman	His research interests include community and campus radio, popular culture, political communication, media credibility, and sound design. He is a strong advocate for students studying abroad during their academic career. He has contributed articles and conference papers on a wide variety of topics, and has been a source for numerous media stories throughout the United States. He appeared several times on New York City's Fox 5 "Good Day New York" program, speaking on new media technologies and radio. He has supervised research projects on religion in the media, Asian-American representation, and political internet blogs. He has served as Editorial Assistant for the research publication Communication Research.
Asst Prof Chen Hsueh-hua	Her research interests include communication beaviors and culture in digital games, the impact of digital games, intercultural communication, culturla identity, cultural diversity, and virtual culture.
Assoc Prof Cherian George	Cherian George's research focuses on journalism and politics. He studies the Singapore media system, including censorship issues; the political economy of news media; authoritarian controls on media; alternative media; norms and practices of journalism, including the ethics of covering intolerant speech; and media policy. For more information, please visit http://www.cheriangeorge.net.
Asst Prof (Adj) Cui Donghong	Dr Cui’s research areas are sociolinguistics, Chinese Culture and Language, business and management, politics and public administration. She has conducted a wide range of studies on government’s policy implementation, effective communications, management of SMEs and cross-culture management in overseas investments.
Asst Prof Danne Ojeda Hernandez	Her current research is devoted to the disciplinary redefinitions of Graphic Design and its implications in contemporary visual culture. It analyses antithetical aspects within the evolution of graphic design, like its communicative and allegoric nature, autonomy and social commitment, and expressivity and new media standards. The theoretical basis of this research includes binary concepts like natural/artificial, original/copy, public/private, and physical/virtual. The research is methodologically structured upon close readings of a variety of visual objects from the perspective of graphic design. These objects are discusses in connection with different sorts of conceptual platforms, like manifestos, (un)realized projects, curatorial proposals and critical reviews among others sources within today's dominant orientations in graphic design.
Mr David Yew Kai Sin	Asia-Pacific, communication, negotiation, information technology, information-communications, telecommunications, manufacturing, government, finance, strategy, consulting, strategic advice, research, business intelligence, competitor intelligence, customer intelligence, market opportunity analysis, market profiling, market sizing, forecasting, modelling, business expansion, market entry, partner evaluation and selection, partnering
Asst Prof Debbie Goh Pei Chin	Online and print news reporting; New media and society; Gender and communication technologies; International development and communication; Research Methods; Digital divide; Gender and information communication technologies; Media framing
Mr Duffy Andrew Michael	Journalism in Singapore Cross-cultural journalism education Online journalism education
Asst Prof Fernando De La Cruz Paragas	Dr. Paragas researches and consults on transnational migration, message design and analysis, and communication technologies.
Prof (Adj) Goh Nguen Wah	Dr. Goh's areas of interests include: government and politics of Singapore, government's media, education and language policies, language planning; the rise of China and the global Chinese language fever, the prospects of Chinese language in a globalized world, cross-cultural studies, journalism of the West and the East.
Asst Prof Han Sam	(1) The dynamic of religion and digital technology in contemporary American Christianity (2) Digital-diasporic religious practices in Asia (3) Death and mourning in the digital age (4) The religious discourse of technology as sinful (5) General social and cultural theory (e.g., affect theory, post-structuralism, post-modernism, psychoanalysis, network theory) (6) Parochialism in popular representations of “genius” in media depictions of US ethnic minorities
Prof Hao Xiaoming	Dr Hao Xiaoming's research interests include international communication, comparative media systems, social impact of new communication technologies, audience studies and media effects.
Prof Heitor Capuzzo	History of Animation, author, research director. Visual effects: strategies for low budget film production, motion capture, synthetic character and environment. Digital narratives: interactive and non-linearity. Blending theory and practice, his research addresses the dialogue between traditional and digital animation. His expertise is also focused in History of Cinema, Animation and Visual Effects.
Vg Assoc Prof Hernando Rojas	His scholarship focuses on political communication, in particular examining: (a) the deployment of new communication technologies for social mobilization in a variety of contexts; (b) the influence of audience perceptions of media (and audience perceptions of media effects) on both public opinion and the structure of the public sphere; and (c) the conditions under which media support democratic governance.
Asst Prof Joan Marie Kelly	Assistant Professor Joan Marie Kelly is an artist and has been a faculty member of the School of Art Design and Media since 2005. She received a Master in Fine Arts from Western Connecticut State University and a Bachelors Degree from Maryland Institute College of Art graduating Magna Cum Laude. Art critic, Paul Khoo states: "Kelly operates in zones of contact, a theme elaborated in the 2006 Sydney Biennale: places where competing narratives of power compete, where silences speak to unwritten histories. Kelly reinvents the body through the environment of these zones: be it the foreign worker chattels of Little India, the brothels of Calcutta, or the factory towns of the Shenzen Economic Zone. These zones mark the intersection of the grand narrative of globalization and progress with those of the lived reality of those at the bottom of the pyramid. The recent trip to Arunchal Pradesh brings Kelly to another zone, one where a traditional, rural economy clashes with the forces of globalization." Joan Kelly has a growing exhibition record. Recent exhibitions include: Rajamangala University of Technology 2010, Ahuja Museum Kolkata India 2010, Mae Fah Luang Art And Cultural park Thailand 2010, Kolkata Academy of Fine Arts Kolkata 2009, India Fauzia Museum, Universiti Sains Malaysia 2008, International Drawing Biennial in the Czech Republic October 2008.
Asst Prof Jung Younbo	Dr. Jung has published research on the use of new technologies in medical interventions (e.g., virtual reality and haptics-enhanced systems for learning motor functions in stroke rehabilitation; and patient/clinician distribution platform with tele-rehabilitation application), the Internet and computer training for seniors to cross the digital divide, the effects of social robots? embodiment on their meaningful social interactions with humans, and the motivation and consequences of blogging in social life. His work has appeared in International Journal of Human Computer Studies, Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, Journal of Cultural and Evolutionary Psychology, Discourse and Communication, and proceedings of CHI and IEEE International Conference on Pervasive Computing and Communications Workshops. Currently, Dr. Jung examines the effects of social interaction (i.e., role play) and multi-modal interfaces on video-game play.
Asst Prof Kenneth Feinstein	interactive media, display technology, fine art, media theory, philosphy, post modernism, communications
Asst Prof Kim Jihoon	- Issues of media ontology and aesthetics in the art of hybrid moving images since the 1990s - Intermedial, cross-disciplinary intersections between film studies, media studies, and contemporary art - “Interface Matters,” or how digital interfaces (multi-screen installation, immersive installation, 3D cinema, mobile screen devices, locative media, video games) remediate and transform the spectatorship and spatiality of previous media (photography, cinema, television, and video). - The aesthetic and ontological impacts of digital technologies on contemporary documentary practices - Intersections between film theory and critical theory/philosophy, addressing the ethical and affective turn of global cinema, including East Asian cinema - Avant-garde/artists' film and video, including experimental documentary and essay film - Expanded cinema in contemporary art scene and new media art - Contemporary Korean popular culture (including K-Pop) in national/transnational/transmedial contexts
Prof Kingsley Bolton	Professor Bolton's research interests include English in Asia, English in higher education, language and media, the sociolinguistics of globalization, world Englishes, and other related topics. His publications include fifteen books (edited and authored), five journal special issues, and seventy journal articles and book chapters. He is Co-editor of the influential SSCI-indexed journal World Englishes (Wiley-Blackwell), founding editor of the book series Asian Englishes Today (Hong Kong University Press), and The History and Development of World Englishes (Routledge). He is also a member of the editorial board of Applied Linguistics Review, Educational Studies, English Today, English World-Wide, and the international book series Multilingual Education (Springer). He has an active and continuing publication agenda, much of which focuses on English in the Asian region and worldwide.
Prof Kuo Chen-Yu, Eddie	Communication policy and planning New media and globalization Cultural policy and national integration Sociology of multilingualism. Perspectives in Asian communication
Assoc Prof Lee Chei Sian	Her research interests include computer-mediated communication, social computing, and mobile content sharing.
Assoc Prof Lee Chun Wah	Research Areas: Advertising Management, Brand Communication, Public Communication Current Focus: Managing the business operations and account-servicing of Advertising Agencies
Asst Prof Liew Kai Khiun	Research Interest: 1. Portrayal of Medical Discourses in East Asian Film and Television Dramas 2. Radio and Health Communications 3. Popular Music in Southeast and East Asia 4. Malayan History
Asst Prof Lin Tsui-Chuan, Trisha	Dr. Lin's research expertise include socio-technical analysis of converging new media (e.g., market competiveness and policy development of mobile TV and multi-screen TV), social impact of adoption and implementation of new media (e.g., youth, new media & election), as well as digital journalism (e.g., impact of integrated TV newsroom, microblogging in China). Recently, her research interest focus more on mobile media and communication. She has conducted several research projects including "location-based advertising," "mobile dependency," "smartphone and romantic relationship" and "mobile dating."
Asst Prof Lisa Onaga	The mass production and global export of silk commodities that made imperial Japan a formidable international power relied, in no small part, on the scientific improvement of the domesticated silk moth species, Bombyx mori. I am currently preparing a book manuscript (working title: Anatomy of a Hybrid: Cultivation of Silk and Genetics in Modern Japan”) that chronicles the Japanese pursuit of the ideal silk cocoon type in the archipelago and its role in generating biological knowledge. The material object of the scientific hybrid cocoon, a result of breeding Japanese varieties with those from China and elsewhere, stands as a focal point of the book, a history of breeding science and genetics from the late nineteenth century through the post-World War II era. Archival research in laboratory archives, libraries, and private collections in Japan, the United States, and the National Archives of Thailand inform this analysis of the tensions between scientists and stake holders in the silk industry. Together with detailed descriptions of the partner species and the shared human-animal product, this book illustrates why the creation of the scientific hybrid served as a potent site for understanding an entanglement of industrial standardization, biological race, and national identity in Japan. Through the object of the cocoon, I show that what appeared to circulate as universalized biological knowledge had a particular genealogy connected to the ancient but changing craft of silk-making and with it, changing ideologies of the state and Japan’s relation to the world. Any comprehensive historical understanding of Japanese modern biology before, during, and after empire must necessarily engage with the cocoon. My newer research involves the history of post-war efforts to rebuild, if not rehabilitate, bioscience through efforts to preserve genetic resources at the national and global levels. By attending to postwar discussions in Japan about creating national infrastructure for “strain preservation,” I study how activities built around the infrastructure previously created for silkworm genetics gave way to a national discourse concerning “bioresource management” that set the stage for the National Bioresource Project present today. I am also working on the history of silkworm genetics in the atomic age and am interested in how scientists who experienced wartime re-initiated their mutation experiments and served positions of leadership in high-profile roundtable discussions on the effects of radiation on lifeforms in 1950s and 1960s Japan. Addition work on the communication of Mendelian thought in Meiji Japan is slated to appear in an edited volume on the topic of agriculture and genetics. Another aspect of my research program focuses on the experiences of Asian American scientists in the biosciences and more broadly, the migration of Japanese breeding/cultivation knowledge to the Americas. I’m currently completing a journal article on the late Ray Wu, a Chinese-descent molecular biologist who played an instrumental role in the early history of DNA sequencing in the 1960s and 1970s. On tap is an ongoing project on the history of Japanese chicken sexing expertise and its relationship to eugenic science. This work will complement Nikkei studies of the diasporic experiences of expert chicken sexers before and after the exclusionary immigration policies of the United States. I am also collecting materials related to the history of ornamental fish breeding and the introduction of koi to the United States as a way to understand a phenomenon opposite of the standardized silk cocoon, which involves the cultivation and extraordinary value of individuality and difference. Related work will appear in a short essay in an edited volume, Hapa Japan: History, Identity, and Representations (Duncan Williams, ed.)
Asst Prof Marijke Van Kets	Research on Cinematography A study on the perception of cinematic technique and its influence on film language. The research focuses on the use of cinematic technique by the director of photography when shooting a feature film. Is this juggling with technical properties: lenses, lights, speed, shutter, f-stop and so on, effective? Can cinematography influence how audiences perceive movies? I argue that the application of cinematic technique adds additional layers of meaning, nuance and emotional context to shots and scenes along with their objective content. The study also suggests that the use of cinematographic differentials like composition, three-dimensional field and lens language, contributes to the film language.
Dr Mark Alan Cenite	Media law and ethics, and relevant social science research to inform policy
Asst Prof Marko M Skoric	Online social capital and civic/political engagement Communication networks and political/economic development Comparative political communication Video game addiction/engagement; video game violence
Assoc Prof May Oo Lwin	May Lwin's research interests are mainly in the areas of consumer marketing communications and social and health communications issues. In particular, her research in the area of privacy and cybersafety looks at how contextual mediators, safeguards and parental guidelines influence user behavior. In the area of health, she examines how digital communication can influence food intake, exercise, and developmental health. In the area of sensory marketing, she has conducted research on scents, auditory factors and culture-specific symbolism in advertising. She has also co-authored a number of marketing books, including the best-selling Clueless Series (includes titles like Clueless in Advertising and Clueless in Marketing Communications) and a leading textbook for Asia, Principles and Effective IMC Practice.
Asst Prof Michael Thaddeus Tan Koon Boon	Asst Prof Tan's research interest explores issues related to Art, Design and Health, Health Communication and Creative Aging through the framework of Visual communication and Visual Methodology. He is interested to explore the roles and significances of creative communication design processes in the everyday life of people particularly (but not limiting to) patients, caregivers and the elderly. He is currently mapping the state of Arts in Healthcare development in Singapore as a preparation to facilitate future work in the field. As an advocate for Arts and Health, he is keen to raise the level of specialty in the field and to promote interaction among healthcare practitioners, administrators, the creative industry and other relevant disciplines such as social sciences and engineering to enable patients and caregiver to have a better quality of care and life. He has ran art for health project for clients in Parkinson's Disease's support group at Singapore General Hospital, Parkinson's Disease Society Singapore, Prostate Cancer Support Group - Tan Tock Seng Hospital and is in currently working closely with the National Arts Council to grow the field of Arts and Health in Singapore.
Assoc Prof Oh Soon-Hwa	Associate Professor Oh's research interest focuses on the artist and dealer relationship. Based on her observation and experience as an emerging artist in NYC, she developed a study that explored the cultural, social, and psychological roles of the networks of relationships among artists and art world professionals. By employing a qualitative research method of case study she documents and analyzes the experiences and practices of emerging artists in NYC and in Paris, and their significant art dealers, curators, and collectors. The study identifies various roles of networks of relationships and examines in which ways their relationships contribute to the development of their creative works. She is the author of the book "From art school to art world" (2009). Her more recent research focus lies on the interaction between Art & science, Photography & Technology. Teaching and researching on digital photography has incited her to explore and expand the boundaries of the photographic medium by collaborating with scientists in various projects in development. In her photographic practice, her interest lies in documentary projects that deal with issues of identity, gender, and human condition. For instance, her “Girls from Mekong Delta” essay is a semi-documentary project that explores the identity and environment of young Vietnamese women from a small island nicknamed “Taiwanese Island” who intend or are pushed to marry foreigners in their quest to have a better life and to support their own family. This project was Finalist (2009) and Semi-Finalist (2007) for the prestigious Lange-Tyler Prize at the Center for Documentary Studies, Duke University. Aesthetics Creativity Sociology of Arts Studio Practice Documentary projects Photography Theory and Criticism
Vg Assoc Prof Paul Moody	Stereoscopic 3D film/video production Documentary filmmaking Feature film development and production Art films Creative writing - scripts, novels. Music production
Asst Prof Shin Wonsun	Interactive advertising & consumer behavior Youth and new media (consumer socialization, parental mediation, and family communication) Online privacy and social media
Asst Prof Shirley Ho Soo Yee	Media effects and public opinion in the context of science, health, and environmental issues Computer-mediated communication Mass communication theory and quantitative research methods
Assoc Prof Stephen Teo Kian Teck	Associate Professor Stephen Teo's current research work focuses on several aspects of theoretical interest in film. Firstly, contributing to the discourse on Asian Cinema as an alternative paradigm to Hollywood as the global form, and thus to evolve a concept of Asian Cinema as a viable cinematic and media theory supporting pedagogical and creative modules. Asian cinema and the concept of national cinema are inter-related forces but it is the latter that tends to subsume the former in theoretical discourse. Teo's research work seeks a concentrated, rigorous approach to defining Asian cinema as a specialized norm of aesthetics and thematic field that can be broadly applied to Asian films produced by diverse national film industries in Asia. How do Asian cinemas transcend national interests and become an Asian Cinema as a unitary and unifying element? With Asian film industries modelling themselves on Hollywood,how can an Asian cinema stand up as an alternative model to Hollywood? A second area of Teo's reasearch interest revolves around the nature of film in relation to cultural theory and other fields of cultural interest, including literature, history and popular arts. The literary and visual contrast inherent in cinema is a striking anomaly that calls for more theoretical investigation. Teo's work has concerned itself with how historical literary works are transposed into the cinema and how historical prototypes are transfigured as cinematic personalities but retaining essential qualities. A third area of Teo's work lies in genre and auteur studies. Teo is interested in standard Hollywood genres such as the Western, the action-adventure film, the thriller, the epic, the musical, and he seeks to explore their inter-textual connections with Asian genres such as the martial arts film, the gangster action film, the melodrama, horror, and historical epic. How do auteurs transform genre? A fourth area of research interest lies in the study of emerging Asian "New Waves" in traditionally ignored film industries such as those in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines. Can these Southeast Asian cinemas make a lasting impact on the discourse of Asian cinema?
Dr Sujata Surinder Kathpalia	Dr Sujata Kathpalia's research interest is in the areas of discourse analysis, composition theory, second language teaching/learning and information technology in education. Her MA thesis is on textual coherence mediated through the theory of frames and her PhD thesis is on the genre analysis of promotional texts that include book blurbs, sales promotional letters and print advertisements. The majority of her publications are a blend of theory and practice in English language teaching, technical communicatin and academic writing from the point of view of discourse.
Asst Prof Suwichit Chaidaroon	Dr. Suwichit (Sean) Chaidaroon is interested in studying corporate and organizational communication from an intercultural perspective. He has conducted research on intercultural communication in workplaces, conflicts, crisis communication, and marketing communications. Currently, he is working on research projects in the following areas: • Building a civility and culture of respect in workplaces • Employment of cancer survivors • Corporate social responsibility in Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Singapore
Mr Tim Clark	Tim works a great deal on regular collaborative assignments with Singapore’s Health Promotion Board (HPB). He has also provided support to solve communication challenges for World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), Association of Women for Action & Research (AWARE), Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF), The Lien Foundation (Lien Aid), National Parks Board (NPB), Society for the Protection of Animals (SPCA), The Bone Marrow Donor Programme (BMDP) and Gawad Kalinga (in the Philippines). His current research interest is the study of the relationship that exists between advertising and art. This is the subject of his latest research paper.
Mdm Ulrike Marianne Murfett	Agent-customer interactions in call centres Social media and their use in organisations
Assoc Prof Wu Wei	Wu Wei specializes in communication and management. He has conducted a wide range of studies on media effects, public relations with publications in top-ranking international journals and presentations at major international conferences. He has also taught courses of Government-media Relations, Public Relations, and Organisational Communication at the undergraduate and graduate levels. His recent research projects involve on studies of public communication, government-media relations in Singapore, and NGO management in China.
Ms Yang Mei Ling	Yang Mei Ling's research interests are mainly in the areas of consumer communications, particularly in written communication with customers and customer complaint behaviour.
Asst Prof (Adj) Zhou Zhaocheng	His research area includes history and politics of Singapore, China-Southeast Asian relationship and media-politic relationship.

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