T J Thomson

Dr. T.J. Thomson is a Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication and Digital Media at RMIT University, and an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow (2023–2026). His research focuses on visual communication, particularly the production and consumption of visual journalism, digital media innovation, and media literacy. He has secured over $1.32M in external research funding from organizations including the Australian Research Council and the Australian Academy of the Humanities. T.J. holds leadership roles in global associations such as the National Communication Association and serves on editorial boards for journals like Visual Communication Quarterly.

Research Interests: Visual journalism, AI in media, media production processes, visual culture, and journalism ethics. His work emphasizes under-represented identities and innovative methods to enhance research dissemination.

Awards: Max Crawford Medal (2023), Diane S. Hope Book of the Year Award (2020), and election to the Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences (2022). His book To See and Be Seen explores the social dynamics behind news imagery.

Industry Experience: Former visual journalist and designer for outlets like The Washington Post and The Associated Press. Current collaborations include projects on AI verification in newsrooms and media literacy initiatives.

Teaching: Courses include Principles of Journalism, Visual Editing, and Multimedia Design. Awarded for teaching excellence by the AEJMC (2021) and the Linda Shockley Award (2022).