Beyond borders and disciplines: Reflecting on the 3rd FuJo PhD Conference

09 September 2026

Last Friday, 4 September 2026, the 3rd FuJo PhD Conference brought together the next generation of media and communications scholars for a day of rigorous discussion and cross-disciplinary exchange.

Importantly, the online format proved that great ideas are not bound by geography and gave us a great snapshot of current PhD research, with participants joining from Ireland, China, and the US.

While the theme — Media, Democracy and Society — remained grounded in the core questions that drive our institute, the range of topics was wide. These included media and misinformation, climate communication and environmental research, democratic participation and student governance, migration and digital cultures, corporate philanthropy, and Irish agricultural climate policy coverage.

The presentations were followed by a joint Q&A and discussion, which provided a good opportunity for participants to engage with each other's research and exchange perspectives across different disciplines.

Participants

Muhammad Sayyam Afzal

Muhammad Sayyam Afzal is a PhD research scientist at the School of Communications, Dublin City University (DCU). He is a freelance journalist focusing on climate change and political communication. He has worked on many social and digital media campaigns over the past six years. Recently, he was selected as Ireland’s Climate Ambassador for 2023. In 2022, he was also chosen among 100 emerging journalists through the British Council’s future News worldwide program....

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