Communication & Media Studies Research Network

Jūlija Surikova is an industry practitioner in brand communication with over 15 years of experience. Currently a PhD candidate, Jūlija focuses on the impact of brand voice in placemaking and its role in driving community engagement on social media. An author of several research papers on brand voice, her academic interests center on brand voice influence in brand communication strategies. Combining professional expertise with scholarly inquiry, Jūlija explores how digital placemaking and branding intersect to foster meaningful connections between places and communities. Besides, Jūlija is a HEI lecturer, delivering courses on marketing and communication.

Gabriel Medina-Aguilar is a Researcher at the School of Communications at the Universidad Anáhuac Querétaro, Mexico. He holds a PhD in Communication from the Universidad Iberoamericana and is a member of the Mexican Association of Communication Researchers, the French Society of Information and Communication Sciences and the Media Ecology Association. He is part of the Observatory of Advertising Communication at the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria.

Edem is a Communications Expert and Journalist turned Documentary Filmmaker and Photographer, a Feminist and Queer activist from Ghana. She has almost a decade of experience in these areas and mostly volunteers in activist spaces providing intersectional multimedia and Communications support. Edem comes to film as an activist and is interested in ways in which marginalized populations and social justice activists in Ghana can use Alternative media to self-represent and for activism, respectively. She is currently a doctoral student at Queen’s University in Canada where she researches Alternative media using the case study and urgent plight of queer media suppression in Ghana.

Stefanie De Winter is an art historian and postdoctoral fellow at the University of Leuven, supported by the Flemish Research Foundation (FWO). Her interdisciplinary research combines art history, vision science, conservation studies, and emerging technologies like AR and VR to address art historical questions. Currently, she leads the Interdisciplinary Reconstruction of Art project (IRECONA), exploring aging in Color Field painting and developing new conservation methods. She is affiliated with the PALETTES and Gestaltrevision research groups at KU Leuven, and ARCHES at the University of Antwerp, and is a member of De Jonge Academie. Her work has significantly contributed to understanding fluorescent colors in art, particularly Frank Stella´s oeuvre.

Kelsey Zook is a dedicated doctoral candidate at Bowling Green State University, where she is pursuing a Ph.D. in Media and Communication. Her academic journey reflects a consistent focus on communication studies, particularly in digital environments and organizational contexts. Zook holds a Master's Degree from Western Michigan University in Communication, where her research centered on virtual organizational communication efficiency. During her graduate studies, she served as the Personal Relationship Representative for the Graduate College Organization, demonstrating her leadership capabilities beyond the classroom. Her educational foundation includes a Bachelor's Degree in Organizational Communications with a Management minor, also from Western Michigan University. As a PhD candidate, she holds multiple roles within the educational community of Bowling Green State University, including a Graduate Committee Member, and Policy Committee Representative. Additionally, she is a active member is BGSU’s Global Social Media Influencer Lab. As a researcher, Zook’s current academic interests lie at the intersection of online mass communication and artificial intelligence communication, where she is exploring innovative research concepts. Throughout her academic career, she has cultivated skills in research design, data collection, leadership, team building, academic professionalism, operational efficiency, and organizational development.

Rakshitha Raghunandan is a creative professional with nearly 5 years of experience in graphic design, branding, and marketing across digital and print platforms. A First-Class Honours graduate from LASALLE College of the Arts in Design Communication, she combines artistic vision with strategic thinking to deliver impactful designs as a Senior Graphic Designer & UI/UX Designer. Skilled in crafting compelling visual identities, Rakshitha excels in storytelling, innovative problem-solving, and creating user-centered experiences. Her work reflects a passion for exploring new technologies and trends, including virtual activations and immersive design. Dedicated to collaboration and creativity, Rakshitha is committed to shaping meaningful connections between brands and their audiences.

Kaylee Williams is a Ph.D. student at Columbia Journalism School, studying technology-facilitated gender-based violence, with a particular emphasis on generative AI and nonconsensual intimate imagery. In addition to her doctoral studies, she provides research assistance to the International Center for Journalists on projects related to online violence and press freedom. Before pursuing her PhD, she was a research fellow at Harvard University's Shorenstein Center for Media, Politics & Public Policy, where she investigated coordinated disinformation and cyberharassment campaigns. When time permits, she covers tech policy and social media platforms as a freelance journalist. She holds a master of arts in political science from Columbia University.

Dr. Salomón Doncel-Moriano Urbano is Assistant Professor at Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo. He holds an International Doctorate in Translation and Interpreting from the University of Granada (Spain) and specializes in the localization and global reception of Japanese pop culture. His research bridges media studies, translation, and education, with a focus on anime, manga, and transmedia storytelling. As a translator for NHK and Netflix, he integrates professional practice into his scholarship. Some of his most notable translation works include globally recognized franchises such as Sailor Moon, Yu Yu Hakusho, Godzilla, and Ultraman. Salomón has published widely and presented at conferences in Europe and Asia, advocating for inclusive, cross-cultural approaches to media and pedagogy.

Dr. Ira Solomatina is a postdoctoral researcher at the ERC-funded SMALLPLATFORMS project at LMU where she focuses on the dynamics within and discourses on smaller social platforms. Previously, Ira’s PhD research at the School of Cultural Analysis at the University of Amsterdam investigated representations of politics and the political in women’s fashion media drawing on perspectives from India, Russia and the USA. Ira’s research focuses on how media shapes and entrenches performances and understandings of gender, the political implications of affective patterns online, and misogyny online. Her articles have been published in Feminist Media Studies and the European Journal of Cultural Studies.