Emilio Fernandez Peña

Emilio Fernández Peña is a Communication Professor at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and the founding director of the Sport Research Institute (UAB), which unites over 40 researchers across 12 departments. He leads the Olympic Studies Centre since 2009 and teaches at the University of Southern California. His expertise spans Olympic media strategies, social media in sports, and interdisciplinary sports research.

Education: PhD in Communication (University of the Basque Country, 2001, Outstanding Award).

Research Interests: Focuses on the intersection of sports, media, and culture. He pioneered the MOOC The Olympic Games and the Media (Coursera, 2014), with over 8,000 participants. Key areas include Olympic diplomacy, social media engagement during global events, and media pluralism in Spain.

Awards: Outstanding PhD Award (2001).

Advising & Grants: Supervised 10+ theses, including works on Olympic digital ecosystems and mega-event narratives. Led projects funded by Spain’s Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, the International Olympic Committee, and UNESCO.

Labs/Teams: Heads the GRECSE research group and collaborates with the International Olympic Academy. Designs media strategies for the IOC Olympic Museum and advises on global sport media policies.