Shima Saniei

Shima Saniei is a communication scholar whose research examines how community voices are co-created and amplified, and how they can inform public and organisational policies, practices, and decision-making. Central to her research is understanding how grassroots groups, social movements, and community-led organisations develop collective narratives and identities, frame issues of societal concern, build public and stakeholder support, and bring community perspectives into public debate and decision-making processes.

Her recent and ongoing research applies these interests across technological, environmental, and community contexts. Her recent work examines how community concerns articulated through critical news discourse about artificial intelligence can inform ethical codes of practice and responsible AI policies within organisations. Her ongoing research explores how the Rights of Nature movement can inform environmental and sustainability communication, as well as communication frameworks for community-led organisations.

 

Shima completed her PhD at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Her doctoral research, Community-Led Issue Framing: Exploring How Community-Led Activist Groups Co-Create Their Narratives with Community Members, examined how grassroots activist groups define issues, build collective identity, and foster social capital to sustain their advocacy.

 

Shima’s research has been published in leading journals, including Public Relations Review and the Journal of Communication Management, and presented at international conferences such as the International Communication Association (ICA) and the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR).

She is a researcher at RMIT’s Communication & Change Co-Lab (3C) and a member of the Communication and Public Relations Australia (CPRA) Victoria Network.

 

Shima coordinates and teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and leads course design and curriculum development initiatives.

 

Before joining academia, she worked in a stakeholder engagement role in the government sector.