Shawn Burns

Dr. Shawn Burns is a Lecturer in Broadcast Journalism at the School of the Arts, English and Media, University of Wollongong. He holds a PhD, MA(R), and a Bachelor of Professional Writing (Journalism). His research focuses on disability representation in media, journalism pedagogy, and newsroom innovation. He has supervised multiple higher degree research students and teaches multimedia journalism with an emphasis on news reporting and digital storytelling.

Dr. Burns has secured internal grants including the 'What makes it stick?' project (2023) and the 'Disability Inclusion and Capacity building for Emergencies (DICE)' initiative (2020). He has been recognized with awards such as the Vice Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Contribution to Teaching and Learning (2013) and the OLT Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (2013).

His teaching integrates research on disability diversity in journalism education and he founded UOWTV Multimedia, a student publication integrated into the curriculum. He previously worked as a journalist and news director before transitioning to academia in 2008.

Dr. Burns' research outputs span media representation analysis, mental health journalism, and pedagogical innovation. His work frequently addresses disability advocacy, mental health stigma, and experiential learning in journalism education.