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Dr Jessica Balanzategui

Senior Lecturer in Cinema and Screen Studies
PhD (Screen and Cultural Studies), The University of Melbourne, Australia; Bachelor of Arts (Honours), James Cook University, Australia

Biography

Jessica Balanzategui is a Senior Lecturer in Cinema and Screen Studies in the Department of Media and Communication and a Chief Investigator in the Centre for Transformative Media Technologies. Jessica's research examines children's screen genres and the intersections between childhood, national identity, and industrial/technological change; vernacular storytelling and aesthetics in digital cultures; and the impact of technological and industrial change on screen genres, audiences (including child audiences) and entertainment industries. She is the Founding Editor of Amsterdam University Press's book series, Horror and Gothic Media Cultures, and is an Editor of Refractory: A Journal of Entertainmnet Media.

Her book, The Uncanny Child in Transnational Cinema: Ghosts of Futurity at the Turn of the Twenty-first Century (Amsterdam University Press, 2018) is available in full online via OAPEN after receiving a "Knowledge Unlatched Select" open-access publishing grant:   http://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/25965 

Jessica's work has also appeared in numerous edited anthologies and leading refereed journals including The Journal of Visual Culture, Quarterly Review of Film and Video, The Velvet Light Trap, and Studies in Australasian Cinema.

Jessica was awarded the 2020 Australian Film Institute Research Fellowship to examine how Australian children's television genres have changed in accordance with industrial, technological, and policy developments. She also leads two interdisciplinary research projects supported by research grants and industry funding: one explores the futures of cinema exhibition in Australia, with a particular focus on the rise of the immersive experience and entertainment destination and their impact on audience practices (both child and adult). The other examines how digital technologies are reshaping how children play, combining perspectives from media and childhood studies, and children's development. 

Jessica welcomes applications from prospective PhD students in cinema and screen, digital cultures, and childhood studies.

Research interests

Cultural Studies and Literature; Digital Media, Film and Television

PhD candidate and honours supervision

Higher degrees by research

Accredited to supervise Masters & Doctoral students as Co-Supervisor.

Fields of Research

  • Screen And Digital Media - 360500
  • Communication Technology And Digital Media Studies - 470102
  • Screen And Media Culture - 470214

Teaching areas

Communication, Journalism and Media Studies;Cultural Studies and Literature;Digital Media, Film and Television

Awards

  • 2020, Swinburne, Vice-Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence, Swinburne University of Technology
  • 2020, Swinburne, Faculty of Health, Arts, and Design Teaching Excellence Award, Swinburne University of Technology
  • 2020, Swinburne, Faculty of Arts, Health and Design Award for Teaching Excellence, Swinburne University of Technology
  • 2020, National, Australian Film Institute Research Collection Fellowship, Australian Film Institute
  • 2019, Swinburne, Outstanding Researcher Award (Early Career), Swinburne University of Technology
  • 2019, International, Knowledge Unlatched Select Open Access Publishing Grant, KU Select/Amsterdam University Press
  • 2018, Swinburne, Dean's Award for Emerging Researcher, Swinburne University of Technology

Professional memberships

  • 2018 (current): Treasurer, Screen Studies Association of Australiasia and New Zealand, Australia
  • 2017 (current): Member, Society for Cinema and Media Studies, United States
  • 2019 (current): Member, Association of Internet Researchers, United States
  • 2019 (current): Member, European Network for Cinema and Media Studies, Netherlands
  • 2016 (current): Member, Gothic Association of New Zealand and Australia, Australia

Publications

Also published as: Balanzategui, Jessica; Balanzategui, J.
This publication listing is provided by Swinburne Research Bank. If you are the owner of this profile, you can update your publications using our online form.

Recent research grants awarded

  • 2021: Tracking, Evidencing, and Maximising the Impact of the Australian Children Television Foundation?s Activities, 2021-2024 *; Australian Children's Television Foundation funding
  • 2018: SceneHunter *; VILLAGE ONLINE INVESTMENTS PTY LTD
  • 2017: Film Genres in the Digital Age *; VILLAGE ONLINE INVESTMENTS PTY LTD

* Chief Investigator