Internet Studies
Who we are
Matthew Allen
Associate Professor Matthew Allen joined Curtin University in 1994 as a lecturer. Promoted twice since then, he has been instrumental in establishing Internet Studies at both undergraduate and graduate level. Matthew has published 2 books and more than a dozen papers, and has a background in history, cultural theory and epistemology before turning to Internet Studies. In 2000, he was recognised as one of the nation's outstanding university teachers, being awarded the prestigious Australian Award for University Teaching, in the category social sciences. He has served as the Vice-President and President of the Association of Internet Researchers; has been Associate Dean, Teaching and Learning for the Faculty of Humanities; and is currently the Head of Department of Internet Studies. In 2009 Matthew will be an ALTC Fellow working on innovative e-learning development.
Helen Merrick
Dr Helen Merrick joined Internet Studies in 2001, after working in a number of other Western Australian universities teaching cyberculture, women's studies and history. She has published articles in various anthologies and journals, and was co-editor of the collection Women of Other Worlds: excursions through science fiction and feminism. Helen is currently working on a book based on her PhD research, entitled Feminist/Science/Fictions which examines feminist engagements with cyberpunk, and also examines sf fan communities on- and off-line.
Elaine Tay
Dr Elaine Tay has supported Internet Studies teaching in sessional work for several years. She joined the staff as a lecturer for a year in 2008 and is a valued addition to our team. Her key area of interest is the facilitation of transnational and transcultural community formations via the Internet, particularly in the Australian and Asian contexts. She has a background teaching and researching within the fields of media and communication and her most recent publication is the chapter, "Discursive Violence on the Internet and the May 1998 Riots", in Violent Conflicts in Indonesia: Analysis, Representation, Resolution.
Michele Willson
Dr Michele Willson joined Internet Studies at Curtin University of Technology in 2001, having previously taught in the politics departments at University of Melbourne and Monash University. She has published a number of articles, including a chapter on virtual communities (In Holmes, Virtual Politics ) recently reprinted in The Cybercultures Reader, and was an editor of Arena Magazine for a number of years. Michele's most recent book, Technically Together, examines the implications of using communications technologies for experiences and understandings of community.
