Prof. Brenda Murphy lives Malta and lectures at the University of Malta.  In 2013 she formed part of a team of academics who set up a new Department of Gender Studies, prior to that she was Director of the Edward DeBono Institute for the Design and Development of Thinking, and previous to that she was a Senior Lecturer with the Department of Communication Studies.

Before she ‘came home’ for a year’s sabbatical earlier this year she was Head of Department, President of the in-house Union and Research Associate with the Mediterranean Institute.

Born in Dublin and educated in Waterford, Dublin and London, she has worked in the media industry in London and Dublin, Chaired the Gender Advisory Committee at the Malta Broadcasting Authority, held the posts of President and General Secretary for UMASA, and worked with President of Malta on the Presidents Foundation to spearhead gender training for media practitioners. She is also an Expert for the European Commission and European Parliament on issues around Media and Gender.

Within in the new Department she is involved in the design of postgraduate programmes, research, activism and community engagement. She is a collaborative researcher with several institutions: the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), GMMP and COST. She has been the National Coordinator for the Gender Monitoring Media Project (GMMP) since 2000, and recently, National Coordinator in a 27 country ‘Women and Media’ monitoring on behalf of EIGE.

Her personal research is located around gendered places and spaces, the construction of identities of various kinds, (national, gender, ethnic etc.)  in and through consumption and performances of consumption and spaces of consumption. 

Her recent book – Brewing Identities: Globalisation, Guinness and the production of Irishness – was published by Peter Lang Publishers, New York.

She can be contacted at brenda.murphy@um.edu.mt.