Drummm-roll for the first Postgraduate SubCommittee

Bettina Roesler (Sydney, UWS): Bettina is a PhD candidate at the Institute for Culture and Society (University of Western Sydney). With a background in Literature Studies, Foreign Language Teaching and Translation Studies, in her thesis Bettina is exploring the tensions between cultural diplomacy making, government funding for the arts and artist exchanges, in particular the Asialink Arts Residency Program. Previously completed masters at Dresden University of Technology (Germany) and University of Auckland (New Zealand) have informed research interests ranging from Utopian studies and the politics of translation to intercultural dialogue and cultural policy making. (b.roesler[at]uws.edu.au)

Soenke Biermann (Lismore, SCU): With a background in environmental education and Indigenous studies, Soenke is currently completing a PhD in Cultural Studies in the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Southern Cross University. His thesis explores decolonising pedagogies in settler-state universities (in Australia, NZ & Canada) and connects to his own teaching practice in a range of humanities subjects in SCU’s Bachelor of Arts as well as with Long Island University’s Australia Program, of which he is the director. His research interests and publications converge at the intersections of student equity, critical pedagogy, Indigenous studies and settler-colonial studies. (soenke.biermann[at]scu.edu.au)

Fiona Andreallo (Sydney, UTS): Fiona is a PhD candidate at University of Technology in Trans/forming Cultures. She has completed a BFA(Hons) and

MA at College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales, amongst other studies and research. While continuing studies, Fiona has been employed as a photo media artist for the past eighteen years in many diverse areas including the medical industry, photographic Director of  mainstream magazines, as well as an exhibiting artist  represented by Multiple box gallery (Sydney/Cologne) until 2004. Fiona has been a media Art and design lecturer for the past eleven years at TAFE NSW, University of New South Wales and also at University of Technology, Sydney. Her research interests include photographic language, social media, new media, gender and identity. (fiona.andreallo[at]uts.edu.au)

Timothy Neale (University of Melbourne): Tim completed a BA(Hons) and MA at the University of Auckland before becoming a PhD candidate in Cultural Studies within the School of Culture and Communication at the University of Melbourne in mid-2010. He is currently engaged in a project concerning Queensland’s Wild Rivers legislation under the supervision of Assoc-Prof Chris Healy and Dr Emma Kowal, and has published papers on the topic in Australian Humanities Review and Griffith Law Review. His teaching roles range from Cultural Studies to History to Writing Studies and his research interests include econationalism, settler-colonialism, and post-humanist critical theory. (nealet[at]unimelb.edu.au)

Jenny Kennedy (Melbourne, Swinburne): Jenny is completing a PhD in Media and Communications at Swinburne University of Technology and is based at the Swinburne Institute for Social Research. Her doctoral thesis examines perceptions and practices of sharing in the context of networked culture. Jenny’s research interests are media theory, social discourses around technology use and material culture. She has previously completed a BA(Hons) in Film and Television at Brunel University, London and a MA in Media Studies at La Trobe University. (jennykennedy[at]swin.edu.au)

George (Kev) Dertadian (Sydney, UWS): Kev is a Doctoral Candidate from the Institute for Culture and Society, at the University of Western Sydney.

He completed Undergraduate and Honours qualifications at Macquarie University’s Department of Music, Media, Communications and Cultural Studies. His research interests include drug and alcohol, critical epidemiology, psychology and criminology. His current (PhD) research investigates the non-medical use of pain medications among Australian young-adults. The project is interested in the intersection of substance use and pain, and how they are problematised by the practice of non-medical use. (g.dertadian[at]uws.edu.au)