Mahindra University has launched the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Communication and Media (CIRCOM), a major initiative of its School of Digital Media and Communication (SDMC), on April 1. The Centre is dedicated to fostering collaborative research across academic disciplines, addressing current and emerging challenges in media and communication, and strengthening the University’s research ecosystem.
Inaugurating the Centre, Dr Yajulu Medury, Vice-Chancellor, Mahindra University said, “The future of higher education is in breaking silos and enabling collaboration across disciplines. This Centre marks a milestone in our commitment to a world-class interdisciplinary research ecosystem for the digital age.”
The Centre will focus on thematic areas including digital culture, media ethics, communication policy, and the societal impact of emerging technologies.
Dr Shashidhar Nanjundaiah, Dean of SDMC at Mahindra University, pointed out that the Centre will “drive innovative, collaborative research for our faculty and students, while deepening our international linkages to position SDMC as a hub for interdisciplinary scholarship.”
Prof Vinod Pavarala, Senior Professor & Advisor, SDMC, who will be spearheading the Centre’s activities, explained that research on pressing contemporary questions about digital platforms, artificial intelligence, media economies, or mediated identities, will have to embrace multiple perspectives from the social sciences and humanities.
Embedded within SDMC, the Centre will support inter-institutional research partnerships and grant development, strengthen doctoral and postgraduate research, create sustained forums for intellectual exchange, and build connections with national and international scholars.
Participating online in the event, distinguished communication academic, Prof John Downey of Loughborough University and a former President of ECREA (European Communication Research and Education Association) discussed some of the challenges in contemporary communication and media research, including the role of artificial intelligence, and pointed out the criticality of collaborative research, especially through international partnerships.
The highlight of the launch event was the inaugural lecture by the Centre’s first Scholar-in-Residence, Prof Clemencia Rodriguez of the Klein College of Media and Communication, Temple University, Philadelphia on “Complex Theories for Complex Media: Decolonising Contemporary Media and Communication Studies.” Stressing the importance of fostering interdisciplinary research in the field of media and communication studies, Prof Rodriguez drew on the rich Latin American communication scholarship to make a case for decolonising the field.
The event brought together scholars, faculty, and students from across the various schools of Mahindra University, as CIRCOM begins its journey as a shared space for dialogue, research, and collaboration, bringing together diverse perspectives to engage with communication and media.
