05.02.2015

Im Rahmen einer Kooperation zwischen Prof. Ansgar Thiel (Institut für Sportwissenschaft) und Prof. Guido Zurstiege begrüßen wir Prof. Samantha Thomas als Visiting Distinguished Professor in Tübingen

Professor Samantha Thomas of the University of Wollongong, Australia, will collaborate with Professor Ansgar Thiel and Professor Guido Zurstiege and teach graduate and post graduate students.

-- German version see below --

We are very happy to welcome Prof. Samantha Thomas as a Tübingen Distinguished Visiting Professor at our faculties. In the next three years, she will repeatedly stay at the University of Tübingen in order to teach graduate and post graduate students and collaborate with Prof. Ansgar Thiel (Institute of Sports Science) and Prof. Guido Zurstiege (Institute of Media Sciences).

Prof Samantha Thomas is a Principal Research Fellow and Head of Postgraduate Studies at the School of Health and Society, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Wollongong, Australia.

Samantha specialises in risk behaviours; marketing campaigns; and understanding the impact of industry tactics on health and social behaviours. Samantha was chosen by The Weekend Australian newspaper as one of the Top Ten Emerging Health Leaders in Australia. She also received a prestigious Australian Davos Connection Future Leader Award.

Samantha graduated with a PhD in Community Health from the University of Auckland and worked at the World Health Organisation (Geneva), King's College London, and Monash University in Melbourne.

Samantha has received grants from a range of organisations including the Australian Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council, Victorian Department of Justice and the Australian Football League Research Board. Her most recent grants include an ARC Discovery Grant (2011) with Prof Tim Olds (University of South Australia) exploring the ways in which Australian families interpret and respond to weight messaging, and an ARC Discovery Grant (2014) with Prof Michael Daube investigating the extent and impact of sports betting marketing in Australia.

Samantha has provided expert testimony to a number of Australian Parliamentary Inquiries, most recently to the Australian Senate Committee on Gambling Reform. Her work is regularly featured in national and international press. She is currently implementing a culture and leadership program within one of Australia’s largest professional sporting clubs.

Recent articles

1. Holland, K. Blood, R.W. Thomas, S. Viewing The Biggest Loser: modes of reception and reflexivity among obese people Social Semiotics 25(1) 16-32

2. Thomas, S. L., Olds, T., Pettigrew, S., Randle, M. & Lewis, S. (2014). "Don't eat that, you'll get fat!" Exploring how parents and children conceptualise and frame messages about the causes and consequences of obesity. Social Science and Medicine, 119 (1), 114-122

3. Pettigrew, S. Chapman, K. Miller, C. Thomas, S. (2014) A conceptual classification of parents’ attributions of the role of food advertising in children’s diets. BMC Obesity. 1:17 doi:10.1186/s40608-014-0017-1

4. Thomas, S. Olds, T. Pettigrew, S. Yeatman, H. Hyde, J. Dragovic, C. (2014) Parent and child interactions with two contrasting anti-obesity advertising campaigns: a qualitative analysis. BMC Public Health 14:151

5. Olds, T. Thomas, S. Lewis, S. Petkov, J. (2013) Clustering of attitudes towards obesity: A mixed methods study of Australian parents and children. International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity. 10: 117

6. Lindsay, S. Thomas, S. Lewis, S. Westberg, K. Moodie, R. Jones, S. (2013). Eat, drink and gamble: marketing messages about 'risky' products in an Australian major sporting series. BMC Public Health. 5 (1):719.

-- German version --

Wir freuen uns, dass wir Frau Prof. Samantha Thomas in Tübingen als Distinguished Visiting Professor gewinnen konnten. Sie wird sich in den nächsten drei Jahren immer wieder zu Lehr- und Forschungsaufenthalten in Tübingen befinden (Gastgeber: Prof. Ansgar Thiel, Institut für Sportwissenschaft, und Prof. Guido Zurstiege, Institut für Medienwissenschaften).

Samantha Thomas ist Forschungsdirektorin und Leiterin für Postgraduate Studies an der School of Health and Society, der Universität Wollongong, Australia.

Ihre Forschungsschwerpunkte liegen im Bereich Risikoverhalten und gesundheitsbezogene Marketingkampagnen. Sie forscht außerdem zur Frage, wie sich Vermarktungsstrategien von Wirtschaftsuternehmen auf Gesundheit und soziales Verhalten auswirken.

Samantha wurde von der Zeitschrift The Weekend Australian als eine der Top Ten Emerging Health Leaders in Australia ausgezeichnet. Als Anerkennung für ihre wissenschaftlichen Leistungen erhielt sie außerdem den renommierten Australian Davos Connection Future Leader Award.

Samantha erwarb einen PhD in Community Health an der Universität of Auckland. Sie arbeitete bei der World Health Organisation (Genf), am King's College in London sowie an der Monash University in Melbourne.

Samantha hat eine ganze Reihe an wichtigen Drittmittelprojekten eingeworben, unter anderem vom Australian Research Council, dem National Health and Medical Research Council, dem Victorian Department of Justice und dem Australian Football League Research Board. Eine aktuelles Drittmittelprojekt (ARC Discovery Grant 2011), das sie gemeinsam mit Prof Tim Olds von der Universität of South Australia durchführt, beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, wie australische Familien gewichtsbezogene Informationen verarbeiten. Ein weiteres aktuelles Projekt (ARC Discovery Grant, 2014, gemeinsam mit Prof Michael Daube) erforscht das Ausmaß und den Einfluss der Vermarktung von Sportwetten in Australien.

Samantha Thomas ist eine gefragte Expertin für das australische Parlament und das australische Senatskommittee. Über ihre Arbeiten wird regelmäßig in der nationalen und internationalen Presse berichtet. Im Moment entwickelt sie außerdem ein Kultur- und Führungsprogramm mit einem der größten australischen Profisportclubs.

Aktuelle Artikel

1. Holland, K. Blood, R.W. Thomas, S. Viewing The Biggest Loser: modes of reception and reflexivity among obese people Social Semiotics 25(1) 16-32

2. Thomas, S. L., Olds, T., Pettigrew, S., Randle, M. & Lewis, S. (2014). "Don't eat that, you'll get fat!" Exploring how parents and children conceptualise and frame messages about the causes and consequences of obesity. Social Science and Medicine, 119 (1), 114-122

3. Pettigrew, S. Chapman, K. Miller, C. Thomas, S. (2014) A conceptual classification of parents’ attributions of the role of food advertising in children’s diets. BMC Obesity. 1:17 doi:10.1186/s40608-014-0017-1

4. Thomas, S. Olds, T. Pettigrew, S. Yeatman, H. Hyde, J. Dragovic, C. (2014) Parent and child interactions with two contrasting anti-obesity advertising campaigns: a qualitative analysis. BMC Public Health 14:151

5. Olds, T. Thomas, S. Lewis, S. Petkov, J. (2013) Clustering of attitudes towards obesity: A mixed methods study of Australian parents and children. International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity. 10: 117

6. Lindsay, S. Thomas, S. Lewis, S. Westberg, K. Moodie, R. Jones, S. (2013). Eat, drink and gamble: marketing messages about 'risky' products in an Australian major sporting series. BMC Public Health. Aug 5;13(1):719.