Brenda Murphy

Brenda Murphy is an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Arts at South East Technological University (SETU), where she also serves as Research Lead in the School of Humanities, a role she assumed in October 2023. Previously, she was Professor and Head of Department at the University of Malta, where she co-founded the Department of Gender & Sexualities. She is actively engaged in research, teaching, leadership, and activism, with affiliations extending to COST Actions, the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), the European Commission, and the European Parliament.

Her academic background includes a PhD from Goldsmiths, University of London, and she has held visiting and external examiner roles at institutions such as University College Cork, Trinity College Dublin, and Munster Technological University. She has also served as President of the University of Malta’s Academic Staff Association and chaired the Gender Advisory Committee at the Malta Broadcasting Authority.

Brenda Murphy's research centers on:

• Gender Equality, Mainstreaming, and Leadership
• Media and Gender: representation, symbolic violence, cyber cultures, online hate
• Media, Gender, and Wellbeing (including mental health)
• Mediated Identities and Consumption (national, gender, ethnic)
• Masculinities

Her recent publications reflect a strong trend in digital activism, gender-based violence, media ethics, and cultural identity, particularly in Irish and Maltese contexts. She frequently collaborates on EU-level gender equality projects and has contributed to policy reports for the European Commission and Parliament.

She has been involved in numerous initiatives to promote gender equity in STEM and media, including mentoring programs and best practice guides for academic career progression.

Brenda Murphy is a collaborative researcher and educator, actively supervising PhD students and contributing to postgraduate program design. She continues to lead research initiatives, organize academic events, and influence policy through her work on gender monitoring in media and institutional gender audits.