STAFF PROFILE
Associate Professor Catherine Gomes
Catherine Gomes is Associate Professor in RMIT's School of Media and Communication.
Catherine Gomes is Associate Professor and Deputy HDR (Higher Degree by Research) Coordinator in RMIT's School of Media and Communication.
Catherine is an ethnographer whose work contributes to the understanding of the evolving migration, mobility and digital media nexus. As a migration and mobility scholar, Catherine specialises on the social, cultural and communication spaces of transient migrants, especially international students, their wellbeing and their digital engagement.
Catherine's work covers the themes of identity, ethnicity, race, memory and gender. She is a specialist on the Asia-Pacific with Australia and Singapore being significant fieldwork sites. Catherine has also written about gender and audience reception in Chinese cinemas, and multiculturalism in Singapore cinema.
Catherine is co-convenor of the Mobilities, Migrations and Diverse Communities (MMDC) research group.
Catherine is editor of the Media, Culture and Communication in Migrant Societies book series (Amsterdam University Press) and founding editor of Transitions: Journal of Transient Migration (Intellect Books). Catherine was also a recipient of an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher (DECRA) in 2013-2016. She is the 2021 recipient of the A Noam Chomsky Global Connections Shining Star Research Achievement Award for her book Parallel Societies of International Students in Australia: Connections, Connections and Disconnections (Routledge, 2022).
Catherine has held Visiting Research Fellowships at the Singapore Management University, Nanyang Technological University and Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
Catherine's research has appeared in numerous journals (e.g. Higher Education Research & Development, Current Sociology, Journal of Youth Studies, Migration Studies, International Journal of Cultural Studies, Journal of International Students and Asian Ethnicity). Her recent books include:
- Parallel Societies of International Students: Connections, Disconnections and a Global Pandemic (Routledge, 2022)
- Digital Experiences of International Students: Challenging Assumptions and Rethinking Engagement (with Shanton Chang, Routledge, 2021)
- Religion, Hypermobility and Digital Media in Global Asia: Faith, Flows and Fellowship (with Lily Kong and Orlando Woods, Amsterdam University Press, 2021)
- Siloed Diversity: Transnational Migration, Digital Media and Social Networks (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018)
- Transnational Migrations in the Asia-Pacific: Transformative Experiences in the Age of Digital Media (with Brenda S.A. Yeoh, Rowman & Littlefield, 2018)
- Transient Mobility and Middle Class Identity: Media and Migration in Australia and Singapore (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017),
- International student connectedness and identity: transnational perspectives (with Ly Thi Tran, Springer, 2017)
- The Asia Pacific in the Age of Transnational Mobility: The Search for Community and Identity on and through Social Media (Anthem Press, 2016)
- Quality Assurance in Asia-Pacific Universities Implementing Massification in Higher Education (with Deane E. Neubauer, Palgrave Macmillan, 2017) and Multiculturalism through the Lens: A Guide to Ethnic and Migrant Anxieties in Singapore (Ethos Books, 2015).
Currently Catherine teaches in the Asian Media and Culture stream.
Personal website: https://catherinegomesdotcom.wordpress.com/
ARC DECRA Research Website: http://translatingimpermanence.org/
- Catherine is Deputy HDR Coordinator in the School of Media and Communication.
- Catherine is Associate Professor of Asian Media and Culture.
- PhD (University of Melbourne)
- MA (National University of Singapore)
- BA (Hons) (University of Western Australia)
Professional interests
- Co-Convener, Mobilities, Migrations and Diverse Communities research group
- National Scientific Convener and Member, ISANA: International Education Association
- Member, National Academy of International Education, Institute of International Education (New York)
- Member, International Education Association of Australia
- International Affiliate, International and Comparative Education, Universiti Brunei Darussalam
- Editor, Migration, Culture and Communication in Migrant Societies (Amsterdam University Press)
Journal contributions
- (Founding Editor) Transitions: Journal of Transient Migration
- (Advisory and Editorial boards) Journal of International Students, International Journal of Bias, Identity and Diversities in Education
Past
- Ethnicity and Race in a Changing World: A Review Journal, University of Manchester
- Aedificamus: The Queen's Journal, Queen's College, University of Melbourne
Advisory boards
- Meld Magazine
- International Education Task Force, Morgan State University
- Study Abroad and International Students SIG, Comparative & International Education Society
Accomplishments / achievements / awards
- A. Noam Chomsky Global Connections Shining Star Research Achievement Award (2021)
- Visiting CLASS Scholar (Nanyang Technological University, 2018)
- Australian Research Council DECRA Research Fellow, 2013-2016
- Visiting Research Fellow (Singapore Management University)
- RMIT Teaching Award for teaching a diverse student body, 2012
- College of Design and Social Context Teaching Excellence Award for Teaching Large Classes, 2011
- Gomes, C. (2022). Parallel Societies of International Students in Australia: Connections, Disconnections and a Global Pandemic, Routledge, United Kingdom
- Gomes, C.,Hendry, N.,De Souza, R.,Hjorth, L.,Richardson, I.,Harris, A.,Coombs, G. (2021). Higher Degree Students (HDR) during COVID-19: Disrupted routines, uncertain futures, and active strategies of resilience and belonging In: Journal of International Students, 11, 1 - 19
- Gomes, C. (2021). Living Through a Pandemic in a Parallel Society: Reflecting on the Impact of COVID-19 on Australia’s International Students In: Friendship in Cultural and Personality Psychology: International Perspectives, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, New York, United States
- Gomes, C.,McKay, D. (2021). International students and scams in Australia: Messages that educate and empower In: Study NSW (NSW Government) Sydney
- Gomes, C.,Tan, J. (2020). The Global Appeal of Digital Pastors : A Comparative Case Study of Joseph Prince, and Brian and Bobbie Houston In: Religion, Hypermobility and Digital Media in Global Asia: Faith, Flows and Fellowship, Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam
- Sinanan, J.,Gomes, C. (2020). ‘Everybody needs friends’: Emotions, social networks and digital media in the friendships of international students In: International Journal of Cultural Studies, 23, 674 - 691
- Gomes, C. (2020). Commentary: Postcards from Vietnam—Lessons for New Players in Higher Education In: Higher Education in Market-Oriented Socialist Vietnam, Palgrave Macmillan, Switzerland
- Gomes, C. (2020). Outside the Classroom: The Language of English and its Impact on International Student Mental Wellbeingin Australia In: Journal of International Students, 10, 934 - 953
- Gomes, C.,Chang, S.,Mckay, D. (2020). The digital information ecology of international students: Understanding the complexity of communication In: Digital Experiences of International Students, Routledge, United Kingdom
- Gomes, C.,Trumpour, S.,Mckay, D. (2020). Mapping the contours of digital journeys: a study of international students’ social networks in Australian higher education In: Higher Education Research & Development, , 1 - 17
2 PhD Completions and 1 Masters by Research Completions6 PhD Current Supervisions
- Contact Points: Enabling international students during critical incidents. Funded by: Competitive - Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources from (2018 to 2019)
- Media and transient migrants in Australia and Singapore: mapping identities and networks. Funded by: ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher from (2013 to 2016)