Signe Ivask

Signe Ivask is a Research Fellow of Sociology of Journalism at the University of Tartu's Faculty of Social Sciences, affiliated with the Institute of Social Studies. Her career spans academic roles such as Lecturer and Research Fellow in Journalism across Estonian and international institutions like Masaryk University. She holds a Doctorate in Journalism from the University of Tartu (2019) and has extensive experience in teaching, research, and administrative roles. Her research focuses on journalism ethics, digitalization, journalist well-being, and media safety, with a strong emphasis on societal resilience through journalism education.

Education: Ivask earned her PhD in Media and Communication (2019), MSc in Journalism (2013), and BSc in Journalism and Communication (2011), all from the University of Tartu. She has also held administrative roles, including leading the CEECOM 2016 conference and organizing Fulbright Scholar visits.

Research & Outreach: Ivask’s work explores journalist stress, online harassment, and digital transformation in newsrooms. She has supervised over 30 theses on topics like burnout, media ethics, and investigative journalism. Active in global academia, she has presented at conferences from Aarhus to Toronto and contributed to initiatives like the Journalism Education and Trauma Research Group (JETREG).

Publications: Her recent work includes studies on newsroom digitalization, journalist safety, and emotional labor in media. She co-authored influential papers on Estonia’s media landscape and collaborates internationally on trauma resilience in journalism education.

• Grants & Projects: Received postdoctoral funding (2020–2022), IREX educational materials development stipend (2021–present), and multiple conference travel grants.
• Labs/Teams: Leads the University of Tartu’s Journalism Studies research group and collaborates with the Press Council and AcademiaNet.