Dr Andrea Medrado (She/her)

I am a Senior Lecturer in Global Communications and Research Director for Communications in the Department of Communication, Drama and Film. My work transcends national and interdisciplinary boundaries between contexts in the Global South and North and between social and computer sciences. My research reflects a commitment to a socially just digital media landscape and to the empowerment of marginalised communities, particularly in the Majority World, in decision-making around issues of tech and inclusion. Working at the intersection of media anthropology, creative and ethnographic methods and information security, my interests lie in the fields of media activism, artivism, South-to-South and South-to-North communication, participatory action research, and critical data and artificial intelligence (AI) studies. As a first-generation academic, parent, migrant woman and global citizen, I thrive on drawing from my expertise with cross-cultural collaborations, bridging grassroots movements and scholarly thinking; academia and creative practice; people and ideas.

Through publishing monographs, co-editing collections and publishing journal articles, I hope to be contributing to a more globally inclusive, diverse, cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary media and communication studies. My monograph “Media Activism, Artivism and the Fight Against Marginalisation in the Global South” (Routledge, 2023 – with Isabella Rega) emphasises the power of dialogue in uniting disenfranchised communities across the plural Souths. Praised for its unique South-South cross-cultural nature, the book received the 2024 “Outstanding Book Award” from the ICA - International Communication Association’s Activism Communication and Social Justice Interest Group. It was also shortlisted as one of the three best “Monographs of the Year” by the Media, Communication and Cultural Studies Association (MeCCSA) in 2024. In addition to authored and edited books, I have utilised data collected through grants funded projects (The Social Foundations of Cryptography, Co-I - EPSRC – 2024-present; AI for the Social Good? , PI - Participatory Research Seed Funding 2022-2023; eVoices Redressing Marginality, Co-I - AHRC, 2018-2019) to produce articles in English, Portuguese and Spanish published in various peer reviewed journals as well as book chapters (see full list in publications section). 

I have also served as Co-Vice President of the largest and most international association in our field, the International Association for Media and Communication Research, IAMCR, for two terms - between 2020 and 2024, with a re-election in 2024 (until 2028). At IAMCR, I lead the successful IAMCR Webinar Series, which has hosted talks, screenings, roundtables and book launches for over 50 scholars, from all continents, including early career researchers. Since I joined Exeter, I have been appointed as Director of Research for Communications, playing a role in mentoring colleagues as part of a young and vibrant department. I am leading efforts to support colleagues in establishing and consolidating two new research centres: The Centre for Gender, Sexuality and Digital Cultures (led by Dr Woori Han) and the Centre for Critical AI Studies (led by Dr Patrick Gilderleve and Dr Brett Zehner).