The ABC has once again selected the pick of Australia's early-career research talent for its TOP 5 Humanities media residencies. This year, Dr Niro Kandasamy from the Department of History has been chosen to take part in an intensive and hands-on two weeks "in residence" at ABC Radio National in Sydney, working with some of Australia's best journalists and broadcasters.
It's a unique opportunity for emerging thinkers to go behind-the-scenes with the ABC's expert communicators, burnishing the skills of these future leaders and role models so that their important work can be celebrated by Australians everywhere.
Dr Niro Kandasamy from Department of History
"Media engagement is important to the work that historians do and I'm excited for this opportunity to learn new skills," said Dr Kandasamy, who is an expert in Indian Ocean geopolitics and is already providing commentary to the media on Sri Lankan politics.
Dr Kandasamy joined the Department of History at the University of Sydney in January, 2022. She completed her prize-winning PhD in 2019 at the University of Melbourne on "Child Refugees in Australia and Internationalism: 1920 to the Present". She teaches in the areas of human rights, global studies, memory, peace, and war.
Her areas of research include government and the politics of Asia, migration history, disability, welfare service delivery, memory studies, gender, and the history of emotions, with a geographical focus on the Global South.
With a career that spans both academia and the non-government sector, Dr Kandasamy brings a wealth of active outreach and community-engaged research experience to the Department of History, along with an impressive track record in scholarly publication.
Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Mark Scott said the University is proud to play a leading role in educating and informing the community.
"Media work is highly valued at the University because we are committed to sharing our knowledge with the wider community," he said. "This is a great opportunity for Dr Kandasamy to develop her expert voice in the media and we thank the ABC for sharing their experience with our researchers."
"We encourage all our humanities and social science researchers to get involved with quality media work so that our important work can shape debate and be celebrated by our community," added Professor Lisa Adkins, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
Cath Dwyer, Manager of ABC Radio National, sees the TOP 5 as an important way of engaging with the university sector and keeping our audiences informed. "We love welcoming these talented researchers to RN. They bring superb enthusiasm and ideas to enrich what we do here at the ABC and inform how we communicate complex ideas in a world of polarised beliefs and contested facts."
Amruta Slee, Manager of Society and Culture at Radio National, said: "Every year I look forward to the injection of brain power the TOP 5 residents provide to RN, it's vital for keeping our audiences informed about the latest research and ideas".
Read more about the 2022 ABC TOP 5 Humanities recipients on the ABC website. The TOP 5 Humanities is presented in partnership with the University of Sydney.
