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Conference Committee at the Media and Mass Communication Conference 2027
The 12th World Conference on Media and Mass Communication (MEDCOM 2027) is a leading international media and communication conference that brings together researchers, journalists, academics, policymakers, and industry professionals shaping global communication landscapes.
The Conference Committee forms the academic and strategic backbone of MEDCOM 2027. As a globally recognized communication conference and journalism conference, MEDCOM relies on the committee’s expertise to oversee conference tracks, review emerging research priorities, and curate a high quality scholarly program aligned with the 2027 theme: “Signals Beyond the Algorithm: Humanity, Trust & Freedom in an AI Driven Media World.”
The committee plays a central role in shaping key focus areas such as artificial intelligence and media, press freedom, digital trust, crisis communication, civic information, strategic communication, and cultural representation. By prioritizing interdisciplinary research and diverse regional perspectives, the Conference Committee ensures that MEDCOM remains a truly global media and communication conference where scholarly insights translate into practical impact.
As MEDCOM enters its 12th edition, the Conference Committee reaffirms a shared mission, which is to advance ethical media practices, strengthen global academic collaboration, and support research that shapes the future of media and mass communication worldwide.
Conference Co-Chairs
Prof. Andrea Volterrani
Director of Master
Social Comm. | Social Farming
University of Rome Tor Vergata
Dr. Andrea Volterrani is a Sociologist of Cultural and Communication Processes at Department of Enterprise Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata. After graduating from the Faculty of Political Science Cesare Alfieri of the University of Florence, he is a fellow student at the Italian Foundation for Volunteering.
He was then assigned research from 1999 to 2005 at the Department of Sociology and Political Science of the University of Florence. From 1997 to 2003 he is also a professor of sociology of cultural processes, theory and technique of social communication, territorial communication and marketing at the Faculty of Political Science Cesare Alfieri of Florence.
From 2005 to 2008 he is a contractor and research grant at the Department of Historical, Legal and Political Sciences and Social Sciences at Siena University and a social contractor and family sociology lecturer at the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Siena. At the same time, he is a professor of social studies contract at the Faculty of Communication Sciences of La Sapienza University of Rome (2004-2008) and of sociology of communication at the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Florence (2004-2006). Since 2008 is a researcher at Department of Enterprise Engineering, Tor Vergata University, Rome.
Prof. Volterrani is engaged in research, teaching and consulting on social communication, the third sector, integrated social politics and assessment processes, resilience community and prevention communication related on natural disaster.
Dr. Tülây Atay
Hatay Mustafa Kemal University
Faculty of Communication
Journalism Department
Dr Tülây ATAY currently teaches at Hatay Mustafa Kemal University (HMKU), Antakya, Hatay, Faculty of Communication, Department of Journalism as a faculty member (Assistant Professor) and a researcher. She is a Turkish Citizen. She was born and bred in Istanbul, Turkey and graduated from Istanbul University. She holds BA degree in Mass-Media Communication, Journalism & PR. She has her Master’s degree in Cultural Anthropology (Gender & Women’s Studies). She is a co-author of the book called “Gender & Sex and Taboo in the Contemporary Primitive & Traditional Societies” in the Turkish Language based on her MA thesis. The book is written from the perspective of women’s and gender studies. She was one of the co-founders of the Centre for Women’s Studies of Mustafa Kemal University. She served and was in charge as one of the deputy directors of the Centre for Women’s Studies of Mustafa Kemal University, Antakya, Hatay, Turkey. She previously worked as a “business developer” for many SMEs in the various fields such as automotive, textile etc. She worked as an Assistant Producer for Turkish Radio Television State Company (TRT) between 1995-1996.
She earned her Ph.D. from the Department of Agriculture Economics and Extensions at Çukurova University, Adana, Turkey in October 2013. She produced her Ph.D. thesis on the division of labour amongst ethnically different two villages near Hatay province (Southern Turkey bordering Syria) in the context of changing social life and Women’s & Gender Studies. Dr Atay’s areas of interests are women empowerment and women’s studies using the other disciplines e.g. communication studies, journalism studies and immigration & refugee studies. She is holding sociology BA degree obtained from Open Faculty, Anadolu University, Eskişehir, Turkey. She is a Ph.D. in Journalism from İstanbul University, İstanbul, Turkey. She was a temporary National Gender Consultant for Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO).
She lived in the UK and USA for a while. She has been in Portugal, Slovenia, Ukraine, Scotland, Romania, Holland, Italy, Spain, Estonia, UAE, Malaysia, Poland, Czech Republic and France for academic purposes. She was a “scientist-in-residence” at Paris Lodron University of Salzburg financially supported by GendUp and Salzburg Stadt (Municipality), Salzburg, Austria. She chaired the MEDCOM 2017, KL, Malaysia. She is also currently engaging with the FoTRRIS-H2020 project and RAISD-H2020 project (women and immigration) run by Complutense University of Madrid. Dr Atay has been actively carrying out her research on immigration and refugee studies mostly last 10 years. She was one of the researchers for the Prof Dr Steven Youngblood’s project on 2015-2016 in various Turkish provinces Antakya, Hatay, Malatya, Adana. The research group visited many refugee camps together. Dr Atay and her colleagues also produced an article entitled “The long journey from Syria to Malatya, Turkey” which was published by the Peace Journalist magazine of Park University, Parkville, MO, USA.
Dr. Chris Fenner
Public Relations Faculty
Dept. of Communication
University of West Florida
Dr. Fenner is an experienced communicator who has led the UWF team to top finishes at regional and national tournaments. Participating in collegiate speech and debate provides students with the advanced critical thinking and communication skills necessary to succeed in the workplace. Before coming to UWF in 2014, he established a competitive speech team at Florida Southern College, where he coached students to 32 national titles.
In his classes, Dr. Fenner teaches undergraduate courses in public relations and persuasion. He relies on high impact practices and hands-on activities to prepare students to meet the demands of the public relations industry. His students have provided public relations and communication advice to a variety of non-profit organizations in the community. At the graduate level, his coursework focuses on strategic communication, mass communication theory, and he works to train students as professional communication consultants.
Dr. Fenner’s research focuses on public relations crisis and image management, and pedagogy. He has presented his work at national and international conferences and is an article reviewer for the National Forensic Journal. He also serves as the vice president of the Florida Intercollegiate Forensic Association, and is the president of the Novice National Forensic Association.
Steering Committee Member
Prof. Kevin Naidoo
Deputy Dean, Research Innovation, Community Engagement
University of Zululand
South Africa
Prof. Naidoo is a Full Professor and the Deputy Dean of Research, Innovation, and Community Engagement in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Zululand. A Chartered Public Relations Practitioner (CPRP), he is an active member of several scientific conference committees, chairperson for the organising committee for HASSIC. He serves as a contributor to several international journals’ editorial boards. Additionally, he serves as the chief editor of Inkanyiso: Journal for African Thought. His research interests include digital communication, electronic communication, artificial intelligence, ICTs in teaching and learning, strategic public relations and postgraduate education.
CONFERENCE CONVENER
Mr. Isanka P. Gamage
Co-Founder & Managing Director
The International Institute of Knowledge Management
Mr. Isanka P. Gamage, is the Co-founder and Managing Director of The International Institute of Knowledge Management Based in Sri Lanka. He is the founding manager of three international journals and has served as the Conference Convener for over 350 international Conferences organized in 8 Countries namely Sri Lanka, China, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, and virtually. He has initiated and engaged with many different online and offline knowledge-sharing platforms to make a sustainable future.
In his journey thus far, he has had the privilege to closely work with many world-renowned personalities and also with over 450 International universities and has been in the lights of more than 2000 leading Professors across the globe on several fields of study. He has also had the honor of working with the Ministries, Diplomats, industry professionals, and international organizations in different countries.
He is reading for Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka. He has completed the Commonwealth Executive Master of Business Administration (CEMBA) and BSc Marketing. He also has a Bachelor of Therapeutic Counseling from The Open International University for Complementary Medicines.