Rate My Professor Andrea Cassin

Dr. Andrea Cassin serves as Lecturer and Professional Placement Lead in the School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences at the University of Newcastle, Australia. She integrates her extensive academic expertise with over a decade of professional experience in media and communication across Australia and Europe. Her career includes positions in product management at a prominent Australian member-based organization, public affairs within an international media corporation, project management at a public relations and events agency, and roles at a German commercial television broadcaster. Cassin holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Communication and Media Arts from the University of Newcastle, where her doctoral research focused on community engagement for renewable energies and low-carbon emission technologies through a public relations theoretical framework. She also earned a Master in Media and Communication Research with High Distinction from the Department of Journalism and Communication Research at the University of Hannover, Germany, as well as Certificate IV in Training and Assessment from TAFE and Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training from Sydney Community College.

Appointed Professional Placement Lead in November 2024, Cassin oversees the development and management of industry partnerships to provide high-quality placement opportunities for students, enhancing employability through experiential learning. Her teaching spans undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including the Bachelor of Media and Communication, Bachelor of Creative Industries, and Master of Digital Media, delivered in face-to-face, online, and hybrid formats. She employs a student-centered, practice-based approach, incorporating real-world clients and applied case studies. Cassin's research emphasizes applied inquiry with societal impact, particularly in environmental sustainability, public health communication, community engagement, and emerging technologies. Notable projects include the award-winning Newcastle City Night Space Activation Project, which utilized augmented reality to transform public spaces and reduce anti-social behavior in collaboration with Newcastle City Council; the digital media initiative Awareness for Organ and Tissue Donation; and Arts-Based Action Research for Native Species Survival in partnership with the Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council and government departments. She has presented her work at international conferences including the International Communication Association (ICA), the Barcelona PR Meeting, and BledCom. Key publications include the chapter “Newcastle Night Galleries: Social Design, Crime Prevention and Creative Placemaking” (2025), “The Playable City: Collaborative Workflows for Innovative Urban Social Design” (2021), “Communicating as Community: Examining power and authority in community focused environmental communication through participatory action research in the Ourimbah Creek Valley” (2022), “Muslims in Australia: How Facebook Use Cultivates Perceptions of 'Us against Them' among Social Groups” (2020), and her PhD thesis “Getting the Green Light: Community Engagement for Renewable Energies and Low-Carbon Emission Technologies in Australia” (2019). Cassin has received recognition on the Deputy Vice-Chancellor’s Academic Merit List for Outstanding Overall Course Performance and was a winner in the University’s 2022 Excellence Awards.