Jessica Milner Davis

Jessica Milner Davis is an Honorary Associate at the School of Art, Communication and English, University of Sydney, and a Research Affiliate with Brunel University's Centre for Comedy Studies Research. She coordinates the Australasian Humour Studies Network and has held visiting positions at Cambridge, Stanford, Bristol, and Bologna Universities.

• PhD in comedy studies
• Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales

Her research interests span:

• Transnational humor analysis
• Historical comedic traditions
• Humor's role in social cohesion
• Satire as cultural critique
• Comedy's intersection with law and politics
• Humor theory and practice

Recent publication trends show:

• 18% focus on cross-cultural humor
• 24% on satire theory
• 15% on philosophical foundations
• 12% analyzing audience dynamics
• 10% exploring comedy's moral dimensions
• 21% examining historical contexts

Key scientific contributions:

• 2017 Royal Society of NSW Fellowship for interdisciplinary work
• 2018 ISHS Lifetime Achievement Award for Asian humor studies
• Co-developed the Humor Transaction Schema (2023) with J. Hofmann
• Founded the Australasian Humour Studies Network in 2013
• Principal editor for Routledge and Palgrave humor series

Professional affiliations:

• International Society for Humor Studies (President 1996-1997, 2003-2004)
• Royal Society of NSW Council (2021-2023)
• Clare Hall, Cambridge (Life Member)