Pernilla Severson

I have a PhD in Media and Communication Studies from Uppsala University (2004) where I defended my thesis "A cuckoo in the public service nest? The role of the audience in the digitalization of terrestrial television".

Since 2019 I have been an associate professor in Media and Communication Studies.

I have continued my research on public service ideals and the media by focusing on media development, participatory practices and democratic values, gender and digital methods.

I have been and am part of various quality assurance projects and processes for education and research. In this, I have carried out several projects on course evaluations, program revisions, academic integrity and research ethics. Furthermore, I have also been head of department and vice head of department at different universities.

I have been head of journalism and am on the faculty board for the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. For many years I was a member of the knowledge environment "A Questioned Democracy". Nowadays I am no longer a member but am still linked to the environment by developing the track "everyday democracy" and polarization and radicalization an anthology project.

During the years 2021 and onwards I will work part-time due to illness in the family.

Teaching

I teach and supervise broadly in journalism, media and communication studies and in digital humanities on media development, participatory practices and democratic values, gender, and digital methods. I also take on suggestions from PhD students for supervision within this field. 

I am currently teaching mostly in the master Media, democracy and human rights.

Research

My research takes place of everything I find interesting in the realm of on media development, participatory practices and democratic values, gender, and digital methods. Therefore, my PhD thesis was on the transition from analogue to terrestrial television focusing public service. I have since then conducted studies broadly on media managers futuremaking, new media genres, gender and archives etc. At the moment I find the suffragette movement in the news, gender and alternative media, AI and journalism, and public service media and diversity particularly interesting. 

Commissions

I am a member of the Faculty Board for Arts and Humanities 2025-

I was part of the management group for the knowledge environment A Questioned Democracy 2020-2022 and 2023-2024.

I was a member of the Center for Gender Studies 2022-2023.

I have served on various education-related formations such as the curriculum committee, Minor Field Studies scholarships, program councils at undergraduate and graduate levels, higher education pedagogy conferences, etc.