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CHIEF INVESTIGATORS

Qualified Firefighter Melinda McDonald

Research Officer
Fire and Rescue NSW

Qualified Firefighter Melinda McDonald brings her experience both as an operational firefighter and strategic communication professional to research into communications in public safety. Her focus is the scope to reduce risk, and increase community resilience, through a greater understanding of diverse stakeholders, and more effective engagement and communication.


melinda.mcdonald@fire.nsw.gov.au      |    Churchill Fellow     |    LinkedIn

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Dr Kate Delmo

Head of Discipline, Strategic Communication
School of Communication, University of Technology Sydney

Dr Kate Delmo's research interests are in issues and crisis communication, disaster risk communication and digital influencers. Dr Delmo is currently working on the following research projects: 1) cross-cultural mobile app usage in disaster risk communication, 2) digital visual ethnography in disaster risk communication and community engagement, and 3) social media in government risk communication (cross-comparative study between Australia and Indonesia).


kate.delmo@uts.edu.au    |   UTS Profile    |   LinkedIn

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Dr Natalie Krikowa

Senior Lecturer, Digital and Social Media
School of Communication, University of Technology Sydney

Dr Natalie Krikowa’s research focuses on the intersection of media technology, cultural practices, and social justice, with a particular emphasis on giving voice to marginalised communities. Natalie’s work examines how digital platforms can be leveraged to amplify underrepresented narratives and influence public discourse.


natalie.krikowa@uts.edu.au    |   UTS Profile    |    LinkedIn

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RESEARCH ASSISTANTS

We are fortunate to have a wonderful research team, dedicated to the project and the communities we hope to help.

Meet our amazing research assistants:

  • Dr Evangeline Aguas

  • Ms Olivia Allison

  • Ms Veronica Alwan

  • Dr Thi Ha Do 

  • Mr Jeffrey Millar

  • Ms Ivy Vuong

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We have also loved having our Digital and Social Media students help facilitate user testing workshops with our community members, so a huge thank you to:

  • Yuan (Bonnie) Cao

  • Hualin (Lynn) Chen

  • Sofia Ignacio

  • Qihan (Clara) Wang

  • Ruyun (Chris) Weng

This research project has been funded by the NSW Reconstruction Authority Disaster Risk Reduction Fund.

 

This study has been approved by the University of Technology Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee guidelines (UTS HREC reference number ETH22-7460).

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We acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia upon which we work, live and play. We pay respect to the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation upon whose ancestral lands the city campus of the University of Technology Sydney now stands. We extend that respect to all Indigenous and First Nations peoples across the world whose lands were never ceded.

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