Our Staff

PhD in Digital Media and Communication at University of Auckland.
Master of International Communication from the University of Leeds, UK.
Master of Political Science from the University of Calcuta, India.
Recipient of the Te Huarau scholarship from TeachNZ

Paula Ray completed her PhD at the University of Auckland, on Digital Media and Communication. She got her last Master’s degree on International Communication from the University of Leeds, UK; her first Master’s was on Political Science from the University of Calcutta, India. She is also a registered teacher, and a recipient of the Te Huarau scholarship from TeachNZ. Before returning to academics, she was a senior journalist in India and the UK, a passion she currently pursues from NZ.

She was instrumental in the launch of two news dailies, Mumbai Mirror and Pune Mirror, in the latter, as the features editor, under the Times of India Group. Later, she became the London correspondent for several news publications in India, while working as the production manager for Credit Today, a credit industry B2B publication based in London. She currently writes for the BBC, Forbes magazine and Stuff.

An experienced communications and research specialist, for the past decade and half, she has been working in the tertiary sector in NZ, at the University of Auckland as well as Massey University. Currently, she is the Academic Director at ICL Graduate Business School, as well as a Supervisor for Masters and Doctoral Projects.

Digitally curious, especially about its impact on users, Paula’s research blends academic knowledge with industry experience. She is a published author – as an academic in widely recognised peer-reviewed journals and edited books, and as a journalist and a non-fiction writer.

Paula’s areas of expertise and interest in academic research include:
Digital transformation and Innovation; Digital Media and Marketing Communication; Cultural Studies and Digital Identity; Digital Media and Migrant Studies; Diversity and Inclusivity among Women Entrepreneurs in NZ; Gender Studies and the Fourth Wave of the Feminist Movement; Journalism and Media Theory; Advertising and Social Communication; Women Entrepreneurs and Communication; Intercultural / Cross-cultural Communication.