Estelle Boyle
PhD Candidate and Multicultural Communication Officer, Department of Premier and Cabinet
Estelle is currently completing her Doctor of Philosophy – Arts in Media and Communications, and is expecting to graduate in 2019.
Estelle’s role is with the recently established Multicultural Communications Team within the Strategic Communication, Engagement and Protocol Branch of the Department of Premier and Cabinet. The team’s work is focused on supporting government and other agencies to better communicate with multicultural Victorians. Key strategies include securing and communicating relevant research, relationship building and outreach within the sector, and the development of resources.
Estelle recently helped facilitate an event which shared key findings from consultancy research undertaken to examine how various cultural communities access information and what communication channels they prefer to use.
“The aim of the event was to inform best practice in terms of how government communicate their messages to multicultural Victorians – how those messages are reaching them, and how those messages are understood to ensure they actually have an impact.”
Other projects in the pipeline include the co-design of digital multicultural resources to assist government in multicultural communication.
Estelle had not been actively looking for work in addition to her tutoring, but when the opportunity with the Multicultural Communications Team came up, the fit was perfect – in terms of her PhD research content and her skills in research and communication strategy.
“While I am still considering a career in academia, I hadn’t thought about how my research would be an asset outside academia. The role is a really good opportunity to use my knowledge and skills from research and apply them in a practical way.”
“I’m really enjoying the work, and being part of a team. It’s actually a relief to know that the entirety of what we’re working on doesn’t fall on your shoulders. After the solo responsibility of a PhD, it’s refreshing to be reminded of that!”
Estelle says that the PhD experience has given her the independence and skills to lead and manage projects – thinking through the logistics and ethical considerations, establishing relationships, producing meaningful insights, and communicating those insights to relevant audiences.
The networks Estelle developed through her research are also a considerable asset in her new role, both the key contacts in multicultural communities who helped her recruit participants for her research, and other researchers in the emerging media technologies and migration space.