Lisa French is Professor and Dean in the School of Media and Communication at RMIT University in Melbourne Australia. In that role she is responsible for the academic leadership, vision and strategic direction of the School. Her professional history in film and media includes a wealth of experience in the leadership, management, curatorial, creative and strategic direction of screen culture activities, including three years as the director of the prestigious St Kilda Film Festival and nine years as a Non-executive Director of the Australian Film Institute (AFI). She is currently the co-chair of a UNESCO 19 global university research network on media, gender and ICTs (http://www.unitwin.net ) and in that role advocated at the Commission for the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations in New York in 2019, influencing the agenda to increase women's access to media. She is a member of the Screen Australia Gender Matters Taskforce. Recent projects include the restoration of RMIT's Capitol Theatre in Melbourne (currently home to ACMI during their renovations), and her school will start an AU$64 million-dollar ARC Centre for Excellence for Automation and Society in 2020. She recently attended the Power of Inclusion Summit in New Zealand and has a sincere commitment to supporting diversity and inclusion. The cornerstone of her academic practice, and the values that underpin it, are founded on a commitment to diversity (particularly gender and Indigeneity) and to industry engagement to drive innovation.

Areas of Expertise