Fulbright Scholar Strengthens Research Ties to the United States
Fulbright Scholar Strengthens Research Ties to the United States
Ciara Barker
Dr Christopher O’Neill, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Deakin University’s Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation (ADI), has been awarded a 2025-2026 Fulbright Scholarship at the University of Southern California.
The achievement was commemorated at Parliament House in Canberra on 27 February, where Dr O’Neill received his Fulbright award from the Governor General, Sam Mostyn.
During the scholarship, Dr O’Neill will spend four months collaborating with Associate Professor Mike Ananny, an Associate Professor of Communication and Journalism at the USC Annenberg School of Journalism. His research will focus on automation, work and error.
The Fulbright Program, both in Australia and globally, has a rich history and proud legacy supporting educational excellence and cultural exchange. Its key aim is to foster long-lasting, productive bilateral relations, partnerships and connections between Australia and the U.S.
Australian Fulbright Scholarship recipients are selected through a rigorous process involving panels of experts from academia, government, professional organisations and the U.S. Embassy.
Currently, Dr O’Neill is a Deakin University Postdoctoral Research Fellow at ADI, where his work integrates science and technology studies with critical media theory to explore the role of automation in contemporary biopower.
Before joining Deakin, he spent three years as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, working with Professor Mark Andrejevic, a Chief Investigator at the Centre. Among other projects, he developed a critical analysis of the role of humans in automated work and surveillance systems.
Dr O’Neill is set to begin his exchange in August 2025, collaborating with Associate Professor Ananny in the Media as SocioTechnical Systems (MASTS) research group. His research will investigate how errors in automated systems can uncover the underlying dynamics and assumptions often concealed within automated work infrastructures.
“I am deeply honoured to have my research acknowledged by a Fulbright Postdoctoral Scholarship. It is a tremendous opportunity to work alongside and learn from leading experts in my field,” Dr O’Neill expressed.
Deakin Distinguished Professor Fethi Mansouri, the founding Director of the ADI, remarked that the Fulbright Scholar exemplified the highest level of expertise in his discipline and celebrated his accomplishments.
“It brings me great pride to witness our researchers engaging in the Fullbright Scholars program, which has a longstanding tradition of enhancing academic and cultural connections between Australia and the US,” Professor Mansouri said.