Sabina Mihelj

Sabina Mihelj is a Professor of Media and Cultural Analysis at Loughborough University's Communication and Media Department, affiliated with the Centre for Research in Communication and Culture (CRCC). She holds leadership roles including former Programme Director for undergraduate/postgraduate communication programs, Director of Research, and co-leader of Loughborough's 2021 Research Excellence Framework submission. Her research focuses on media systems, cultural politics, and digital nationalism, with notable projects including the impact of media in illiberal societies and pandemic communication under populism. She collaborates with organizations like the European Broadcasting Union and has contributed to impactful museum exhibitions on Cold War television history. Her work emphasizes the intersection of media, power, and societal polarization.

Educated at the Ljubljana Graduate School of the Humanities, Mihelj has authored influential books such as *Media Nations* (2011), *From Media Systems to Media Cultures* (2018), and *The Illiberal Public Sphere* (2024). Her scholarship integrates historical analysis with contemporary issues, exploring how media shapes national identities, political discourse, and societal divisions. Recent work investigates digital nationalism, science communication, and the role of media in pandemic contexts.

Research awards include a top-scoring REF Impact Case Study (*Challenging Cold War Stereotypes*), leveraging her work on socialist television into cultural initiatives. She serves on editorial boards of international journals and advises the UK's Arts and Humanities Research Council. Current projects include PANCOPOP, examining pandemic communication strategies in divided societies. Mihelj's transnational approach bridges Eastern/Western European media studies and global comparative research.