University of Tasmania homepage
Photo of Professor Mia Lindgren

Professor

Mia Lindgren

Associate Dean Research Performance

College Office - CALE

Orcid identifier0000-0002-4937-6194
  • Associate Dean Research Performance
    College Office - CALE
  • 03 6226 7847 (Work)
  • College Office - College of Arts, Law and Education, College Office - CALE, 547 Humanities, Sandy Bay Campus, TAS

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Expertise

Professor Lindgren’s research examines podcast and audio practices, storytelling, and aesthetics, with attention to the intersection with journalism and health. She uses textual analysis and a range of qualitative methods to understand impacts of audio formats and storytelling approaches, from the perspectives of producers and listeners. Her research demonstrates the role of non-fiction media storytelling in mediation, translation and sense-making. This has been done in several public health and social history projects with focus on scholarly and public collaborations, each providing opportunities to examine the role of communication methodologies in building community engagement and awareness-raising through storytelling.

Her practice-led research is developed through productions of documentaries, podcasts and websites, in partnership with academics, media organisations and audio producers. She has received several national grants for her practice-led research on audio storytelling for sense-making in public health issues.

Mia Lindgren’s projects nationally funded by ARC and NHMRC have strong focus on relevance and benefits to communities outside academia. For example, the Australian Asbestos Network (https://www.australianasbestosnetwork.org.au) was an innovative educational website aimed at raising awareness about dangers of asbestos exposure through personal storytelling. This long-running project illustrated the potential of practice-led research to engage audiences through digital storytelling, as well as highlighting how digital media artefacts can translate research for impact. Storytelling is a growing field of study crossing disciplinary boundaries in humanities and social sciences.

Areas of research expertise include:

-podcast and radio studies
-practice-related research
-storytelling
-constructive journalism
-narrative journalism
-qualitative interviewing

Collaboration

Professor Lindgren collaborates with academics in a range of disciplines, co-editing and co-authoring publications and productions with researchers in health, medicine, sociology, history, languages, literature, and communication studies.

Mia Lindgren was Chief Investigator on the ARC Discovery project (2017 – 2021) “Building the Australian response to the ‘superbugs’” crisis, led by Associate Professor Mark Davis at Monash University, and including colleagues Monash University, University of Gothenburg (Sweden) and University of Strathclyde (Scotland). It was interdisciplinary and multi-institutional collaboration investigating the Australian public’s engagement with communications and media on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and examining the public’s trust in expert knowledge. Professor Lindgren contributed to the project by combining expertise in podcast production with analysis of content production to explore effective communication about ‘superbugs’.
Awards

Anne Dunn Research Excellence Award, Australia (2015). Awarded jointly be the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association and Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia
Highly Commended, Western Australia Media Awards for Deadly Dust, 53-min radio documentary broadcast on Hindsight, ABC Radio National (2008)

Current projects

Professor Lindgren’s current ARC Discovery project (2022 – 2024) “De-tabooing depression and anxiety: Mental health communication in old age”, led by Professor Kate Burridge at Monash University is also collaborative and interdisciplinary. It aims to uncover how older Australians talk about and understand depression and anxiety, and it seeks to raise awareness of these debilitating conditions via podcasting. The expected outcomes of the project are improved communication about mental well-being and celebration of the lives and stories of older Australians.

PROJECTS

  • Showing page 1 out of 1
Showing page 1, grants 1 to 6 of 6
GRANT
Digital Storytelling of dementia for healthcare students
Global Brain Health Institute6 May 2024 - 6 May 2026
People funded by this grant: Canty A, Lindgren M
Project Total: $37,971; Teaching university level healthcare students about dementia through lived experience videos to increase knowledge and understanding of dementia care. Funded by: Global Brain Health Institute - Grant-Pilot Awards for Global Brain Health Leaders ($37,971); University of Tasmania.
GRANT
De-tabooing depression and anxiety: Mental health communication in old age
Australian Research Council1 Feb 2022 - 31 Dec 2025
People funded by this grant: Burridge K, Benczes R, Allan K, Lindgren M
Project Total: $206,764; This project aims to uncover how older Australians talk about and understand depression and anxiety, and it seeks to raise awareness of these debilitating conditions via new media. There has been much medical research in this area, and while language has been identified as highly relevant for recovery, little is known of how people express their experiences around mental well-being. The research gap is even wider for the worst affected in the population - older adults. These illnesses are shrouded in taboo, and symptoms often go undetected. The expected outcomes of the project are improved communication about mental well-being and the celebration of the lives and stories of older Australians - an integral but vulnerable segment of society. Funded by: Australian Research Council - Grant-Discovery Projects; Monash University; University of Tasmania.
NON-UTAS AFFILIATED
Building the Australian response to the ‘superbugs’ crisis
ARC1 Jan 2019 - 31 Dec 2021
People funded by this grant: Davies M, Whittaker A, Lindgren M, Djerf-Pierre M, Flowers P
Project Total: $391,000; Funded by: ARC
NON-UTAS AFFILIATED
Dust Related Health Issues in Western Australia
NHMRC1 Jan 2010 - 31 Dec 2012
People funded by this grant: Musk B, Reid A, de Klerk N, Lindgren M, Phillips G
Project Total: $729,500; Funded by: NHMRC
NON-UTAS AFFILIATED
Community consequences of asbestos exposure
NHMRC1 Jan 2007 - 31 Dec 2009
People funded by this grant: Musk B, Reid A, de Klerk N, Lindgren M, Phillips G
Project Total: $846,385; Funded by: NHMRC
NON-UTAS AFFILIATED
Midland Workshops History Project
ARC1 Jan 2002 - 31 Dec 2004
People funded by this grant: Oliver B, Bertola P, Lindgren M, Bunt B
Project Total: $208,760; Funded by: ARC