Louise Ravelli

Professor Louise Ravelli is a Professor of Communication in the School of the Arts and Media at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney. Her research focuses on multimodal discourse analysis, social semiotics, and the interplay between language, images, and spatial environments. She holds a prominent role in advancing theories of visual communication and museum communication, with expertise in systemic functional linguistics and the analysis of built environments as communicative resources.

Her work examines how communication operates across diverse modalities, including the built environment, museums, and educational spaces. Key areas of investigation include spatial discourse analysis, the semiotics of architectural design, and the role of visual elements in shaping institutional and social narratives.

Ravelli has authored/co-authored over 70 peer-reviewed articles and 9 books, including Multimodality in the Built Environment: Spatial Discourse Analysis (2016). Her research spans interdisciplinary collaborations, particularly in architecture, education, and cultural heritage studies. She serves as an editorial board member for journals such as Visual Communication and has received recognition for her contributions to multimodal theory.

Her academic leadership includes supervising numerous postgraduate students and contributing to curriculum design in communication studies. She actively engages with global academic networks, emphasizing the application of semiotic frameworks to contemporary social and cultural challenges.