Saira Ali

Dr Saira Ali

Senior Lecturer

School of Humanities

Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.

Saira Ali brings extensive experience from the media industry, having worked at leading publishing houses including Kitab Pvt Ltd and Oxford University Press in Pakistan. She began her academic career in 2015 at the University of the Sunshine Coast, where she taught Public Relations and Social Media. Since joining the University of Adelaide in 2020, she has continued to build on this applied foundation through research and teaching that bridge media studies, political communication and critical security studies.

My work examines how power operates through processes of mediatisation and securitisation, shaping which threats are amplified, whose voices are legitimised, and what forms of knowledge and response are prioritised. I research how societies govern crisis and manage uncertainty through media discourses of risk and security. Bringing together media studies, critical security studies and political communication, I explore how discourses of threat, crisis and vulnerability take shape across institutional, cultural and geopolitical contexts. From terrorism and strategic communication to climate security and protest governance, my research offers an interdisciplinary perspective on the cultural politics of risk and the shifting logics of security governance. 

I am the author of Mediatised Terrorism: East–West Narratives of Risk (Routledge) and co-author of Public Relations and Strategic Communication (Oxford University Press).

I welcome inquiries from Masters and PhD candidates interested in media, risk and security, especially with a focus on securitisation, media and power and the governance of risk through institutional responses.

  • Appointments
    Date Position Institution name
    2020 - ongoing Senior Lecturer Media Studies University of Adelaide
    2015 - 2020 Sessional Academic University of the Sunshine Coast
    2015 - 2018 Research Assistant University of the Sunshine Coast
    2014 - 2015 Chief Operations Officer Kitab Publishing (Pvt) Limited
    2009 - 2013 Editor – Primary & Secondary School Books Oxford University Press (OUP)
    2007 - 2013 Publishing Consultant / Editor Freelancer
    2006 - 2007 Assistant Manager Development & Alumni Relations Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)
    2002 - 2005 Manager Media Relations & Publications Curzon Pacific Master Event Planners & Producers
    1999 - 2001 Assistant Editor Libas International Magazine

  • Awards and Achievements
    Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount
    2023 Award School of Humanities Early Career Research Excellence University of Adelaide Australia -

  • Language Competencies
    Language Competency
    English Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review
    Urdu Can read, write, speak and understand spoken

  • Education
    Date Institution name Country Title
    2015 - 2019 University of the Sunshine Coast Australia PhD in Media Studies
    2013 - 2013 University of the Sunshine Coast Australia Graduate Diploma in Arts – Communications & Public Relations
    2004 - 2005 Goldsmiths University of London United Kingdom Masters in Transnational Communications & Global Media
    1998 - 2001 The University of the Punjab Pakistan Masters in English Literature

  • Certifications
    Date Title Institution name Country
    — Associate Fellow Higher Education Academy United Kingdom

  • Research Interests
    Communication & Media Studies Globalisation and Culture Journalism Studies Sociology

  • Journals
    Year Citation
    2023 Barbour, K., & Ali, S. (2023). A Sense of Home: two migrant personas during COVID-19. Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies, 37(2), 210-223.
    DOI Scopus1
    2021 Pugsley, P. C., & Ali, S. (2021). Activating Bollywood buzz: Promoting Indian film superstars in supporting roles. Studies in South Asian Film & Media, 13(1), 19-37.
    DOI Scopus2
    2019 Ali, S., & Khattab, U. (2019). Reporting terrorism in Muslim Asia: the Peshawar massacre. Media International Australia, 173(1), 108-124.
    DOI
    2018 Ali, S., & Khattab, U. (2018). Trans-mediatized terrorism: The Sydney Lindt Café siege. Global Media and Communication, 14(3), 301-323.
    DOI Scopus6 WoS2
    2017 Khattab, U., Fonn, B. S., & Ali, S. (2017). Strategic Communication Management of Corporate Crises: Case Analysis. e-Journal of Social and Behavioural Research in Business, 8(1), 15-40.
    2017 Ali, S., & Khattab, U. (2017). East–west trans-mediatisation of terrorism and Islamophobia: Sydney siege and Peshawar massacre. International Communication Gazette, 79(8), 722-745.
    DOI Scopus2 WoS3
    2016 Ali, S., & Khattab, U. (2016). Australian talkback radio prank strategy: a media-made crisis. Journal of Communication Management, 20(1), 56-74.
    DOI Scopus3 WoS1

  • Books
    Year Citation
    2022 Ali, S. (2022). Mediatised Terrorism East-West Narratives of Risk (1st ed.). London, United Kingdom: Routledge.
    DOI
    2019 Sutherland, K., Ali, S., & Khattab, U. (2019). Public Relations and Strategic Communication Contemporary Perspectives. Melbourne, Australia.

Saira regularly receives funding from School and Faculty research schemes to support her research.

Program Director: Master of Media (Strategic Communication)

Course coordinator:

MDIA 3203 Media Policy and Media Law III (MPML)

MDIA 7004 Social Media Management (SMM)

MDIA 7006 Risk & Crisis Communication (RCC)

MDIA 7008 Media Masters Research Project

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2025 Co-Supervisor A study on social media's role in brand communication strategies in India and Australia Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Sakshi Malpani
    2024 Co-Supervisor Factors Influencing AI Integration in News Media: A Comparative Study of Australia and Pakistan Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Altaf Ahmed
    2023 Co-Supervisor A study on the impact of representation of gender in popular culture, specifically how females fans engage with female-centred and created media through recent online trends Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Lisa Julia Cooper
    2023 Co-Supervisor Listening through the Static: De-communalising Indian Partition History through Radio Broadcasts Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Utsha Roy
    2023 Co-Supervisor The role and impact of image-based social media on remote Indigenous art centres Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Miss Brittany Sheree Pfeiffer
    2023 Co-Supervisor The commercialisation of happiness: the depiction of mental health in the social media marketing communications of consumer lifestyle brands Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Ranjani Ragotham
    2022 Co-Supervisor Violent language in populist discourse Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Lucas Sebastian Konstantin Scheel

  • Other Supervision Activities
    Date Role Research Topic Location Program Supervision Type Student Load Student Name
    2024 - 2024 Principal Supervisor Leave a Comment Below: Exploring consumer perception in online comment sections using brand health. University of Adelaide M. Media (Strategic Communication) Master Full Time Grace Heim
    2024 - 2024 Principal Supervisor Brewed Cultures: A Comparative Analysis of Nescafe's Communication Strategies in India and Australia University of Adelaide M. Media (Strategic Communication) Master Full Time Sakshi Malpani
    2023 - 2023 Principal Supervisor Exploring Acculturation of Latino Influencers in Australia: A Content Analysis of Lifestyle and Travel Posts on Instagram University of Adelaide M. Media (Strategic Communication) Master Full Time Annabelle Andrade
    2022 - 2022 Principal Supervisor Inbound Marketing: Why Did it Emerge, What Makes it Significant, and Where Next? University of Adelaide M. Media (Strategic Communication) Master - David Olney
    2022 - 2022 Principal Supervisor The Use of Entertainment Marketing: A comparative analysis of three brands and their marketing strategies on TikTok The University of Adelaide M. Media (Strategic Communication) Master - Lilli Rose
    2021 - 2021 Principal Supervisor Developing a body positive social media strategy for Victoria's Secret University of Adelaide M. Media (Strategic Communication) Master Full Time Malika Marwah
    2021 - 2021 Principal Supervisor Exploring Dark Mofo: Examining Audience Reactions to the Proposed 'Inion Flag' Artwork University of Adelaide - Honours Full Time Brittany Pfeiffer
    2021 - 2021 Principal Supervisor Social media strategy in China - A case study of Xiaomi Group University of Adelaide Master of Arts Master Full Time Rong Hu
    2021 - 2021 Principal Supervisor Internet and social media regulation with respect to terrorism in China University of Adelaide Media Master Core Master Full Time Danlu Zhao
    2020 - 2020 Principal Supervisor Privacy laws and rights on social media. The University of Adelaide Media Master Core Master Full Time Hanru Zhou

  • Memberships
    Date Role Membership Country
    2024 - ongoing Member The Addressing Violent Extremism and Radicalisation to Terrorism (AVERT) Research Network Australia
    2023 - ongoing Member Australian and New Zealand Communication Association Australia

  • Presentation
    Date Topic Presented at Institution Country
    2024 - 2024 Muted Defiance: The Australian Media’s Response to Press-Limiting Security Laws Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Communication Association (AANZCA) RMIT, Melbourne Australia
    2024 - 2024 Climate Change as a Security Threat: Implications for Policy and Activism. Melbourne, Victoria Addressing Violent Extremism and Radicalisation to Terrorism (AVERT) Australia
    2023 - 2023 The making of ‘Taliban Khan’: Analysis of Imran Khan’s political speeches on the Taliban Australian & Aotearoa New Zealand Communication Association (AANZCA) Victoria University, Wellington New Zealand
    2021 - ongoing A sense of home: Two perspectives of migrant persona building in 2020 Diversifying Persona Studies: Online International Conference University of Adelaide Australia
    2016 - 2016 Trans-mediatised Fear of Muslim Diasporas in Australia: The Sydney Lindt Café Hostage Crisis Diaspora and Media section, International Association for Media and Communication (IAMCR) University of Leicester United Kingdom
    2016 - 2016 Trans-mediatised War on Terror: East-West Comparative Analysis International Communication section, International Association for Media and Communication (IAMCR) University of Leicester United Kingdom
  • Position: Senior Lecturer
  • Phone: 83131403
  • Email: saira.ali@adelaide.edu.au
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: Napier, floor 9
  • Org Unit: School of Humanities
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