Dr Whitney Monaghan is a Lecturer in Film, Screen and Culture within the School of Media, Film and Journalism. Her work spans film, media and cultural studies, with a particular focus on gender and LGBTIQA+ issues in screen and media cultures.

Her PhD research on the representation of queer girlhood is published as the monograph Queer Girls, Temporality and Screen Media: Not ‘Just a Phase’ (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016). She has since expanded her research into a range of digital media and screen related topics alongside broader interests in diversity, equity and inclusion.

She is the co-author of Queer Theory Now: From Foundations to Futures (Red Globe Press, 2019; second edition forthcoming 2026), co-editor of Screening Scarlett Johansson: Gender, Genre, Stardom (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020), and has published numerous articles on queer theory, gender, sexuality and media.

Her current projects look to the future and past of LGBTIQA+ inclusion in the media, uncovering Australia's queer screen culture histories and examining discoverability of LGBTIQA+ content in the streaming media environment.

Dr Monaghan reguarly contributes to film festivals and cultural events. She is a festival coordinator at the Melbourne Women in Film Festival, where she uses her expertise in queer and feminist media studies to curate film programs, screenings and public events. She established the MWFF Critics Lab, the first Australian mentoring program to support the careers of women and gender diverse critics.

Dr Monaghan supervises research projects (PhD and Masters level) in a range of areas, primarily related to identity, gender and sexuality in screen and media cultures. 

Dr Monaghan's students are currently researching:

• Young queer women’s history-making online.
• Representations of women in Asian-American diasporic cinema.
• IVG and reproductive justice.
• Disney fandom.
• Trans women's visibility on social media in Indonesia.
• Young people's access to informal sex education on Discord.

Past projects have explored:

• Queer Film Festivals.
• Confidence culture and body positivity on Chinese social media.
• Digital culture and Asian-Australian identity.
• Postpartum bodies on Chinese social media.
• News media coverage of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown in Melbourne.
• The ecology of social short video applications in China.
• Financing Queer films in Brazil.
• Representing Witches on Teen TV.
• Videogame and film adaptation.

Dr Monaghan has extensive teaching experience (curriculum development, coordination, lecturing and tutoring) in film and screen studies, media studies and strategic communications management.

Current teaching responsibilities

• ATS3969: Screen Studies in the Digital Era
• ATS3964: Gender, Race and Media Practices

Previous teaching at Monash:

• ATS2992/MON2100: Global Immersion Guarantee
• ATS1119: Communicating in the Digital Era
• ATS1304: Introduction to Television Studies
• ATS1305: Introduction to Film Studies
• ATS2964: Screen Theories
• ATS2962: Contemporary Approaches to Film and Television Studies
• ATS3551: Gender and Sexuality in Film and Television
• APG5050: Doing Media and Communications Research
• APG5367: Campaigns, Advocacy and Change
• APG5742: Industry Project
• APG5458: Digital Technology, Policy and Governance
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