Dr. Jacqueline Burgess is a multi-award-winning educator and researcher based at the University of the Sunshine Coast. She is the leading business and game studies researcher in Australia and has published multiple papers in the top 10% of worldwide academic journals. Jacqueline also researches small businesses and other aspects of the creative industries and is active collaborator who pulls her weight.
Jacqueline is also an active member in the Digital Games Research Association (DiGRAA) Australia, having served on the board since 2023 and made significant contributions in working parties, and a mentor of early career and student researchers.
She has worked with various creative practitioners from international companies, including Ubisoft, to local businesses and has taught numerous industry workshops. As a result of Jacqueline’s expertise, she has been asked to provide commentary for news organisations including The BBC, Sky News, WIN, Inside Retail, The Conversation and more.
Jacqueline is always open to media, collaboration, supervision and consultancy requests.
Professional memberships
- Australian & New Zealand Marketing Academy (ANZMAC)
- Digital Games Research Association (DIGRA)
- Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA)
- Higher Education Academy
Awards
- 2023 Finalist Regional Universities Network Learning and Teaching Awards
- 2022 Emerald Literati Award
- 2022 DASSH Award for Leadership and Excellence in Employability
- 2022 SBCI Award for Excellence in Learning Experience Design
- 2022 Commendation UniSC Vice-Chancellor and President's Awards for Excellence in Learning and Teaching
- Vice-Chancellor and President's Award for Excellence in Learning & Teaching (Sessional), USC, 2019
Professional Social Media
Research Concentrations
- Engage Research Lab https://engageresearch.org/
Research Grants
|
Grant/Project Name |
Investigators |
Funding Body and A$ Value |
Year(s) |
|
Endeavour Foundation VR Barista Project |
Jones, C., Burgess, J., & Clement, J. |
Endeavour Foundation $80,000 |
2024 |
|
Investigating Authors’ Knowledge of Marketing |
Burgess, J., Curran, A., Williams, P., & Scheepers, M. |
Queensland Department of Environment and Science, YES Research Program, $7,500. |
2022 |
|
Investigating unfair business practices in the digital marketing industry
|
Sutherland, K., Burgess, J., Mulcahy, R., & Lawley, M.
|
Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, $19,849.
|
2021-2023 |
|
VR Simulators – research into VR games for employability. |
Jones, C., Clement, J., & Burgess, J. |
Endeavour Foundation, $100,000 |
2021-2024 |
Potential Research Projects for HDR & Honours Students
- Brand management
- Marketing communication
- Media management
- Narrative and media
- Brand management
- Media marketing
- Business and marketing in the creative industries
- Game studies
- Media narratives
Current HDR Students (all co-supervisor)
2021-present: Denise Beckton, ‘Fading: Identifying conservatizing marketplace trends in order to support the writing of a Young Adult novel featuring Australian Gothic style’, PhD, Co-Supervisor, University of the Sunshine Coast. Confirmed candidate. Candidate has submitted her thesis.
2021-present: Jesse Clement, ‘Intuitive interface design for virtual and augmented reality’, PhD, Co-Supervisor, University of the Sunshine Coast. Confirmed candidate.
2022-present: Tanja Evrosimovska, ‘Critical Success Factors, Risks and A Roadmap for Internationalisation of SMEs: Comparison Between Developed and Emerging Countries’, PhD, Co-Supervisor, University of the Sunshine Coast. Confirmed Candidate.
2023-present: Shabnam Joebges, ‘The impact of digitalization on incumbent B2B firms’ business models’. PhD, Co-Supervisor, University of the Sunshine Coast. Confirmed Candidate.
2023-present: Kristy Maclachlan, ‘Sunshine of Your Love’. MCA. Co-Supervisor, University of the Sunshine Coast. Confirmed Candidate. Candidate has submitted her thesis.
Past and Current Honours Students
2024-present: Jana Voelker, 'Exploring mobile payment behaviour patterns between international consumers’. Honours, Primary Supervisor, University of the Sunshine Coast.
2024-present: Jessica Whyman, ‘Young Adult Literature: Censoring Over Avoidance of Difficult Topics.’ Honours, Co-Supervisor, University of the Sunshine Coast.
2022-2023: Amy Curran, ‘Exploring Micro Australian Fashion Influencers’, Honours, Primary Supervisor, University of the Sunshine Coast. Candidate achieved first-class honours.
Research areas
- narrative brands
- human brands
- brand crises
- video games and digital media
- emotional attachment to video games and digital media
- game studies
Teaching areas
- Marketing
- Marketing communication
- Brand management
Research publications
Burgess, J., Muscat, A., Grace, A., & Jones, C. (2024). Local issues and global challenges: understanding Marketing within the Trans-Tasman video game industry. Creative Industries Journal, in press. https://doi.org/10.1080/17510694.2024.2389805
Burgess, J., Williams, P., & Curran, A. (2024). Australian author, student, and publishing perspectives on marketing knowledge. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, in press. https://doi.org/10.1177/14740222241248830
Burgess, J., & Williams, P. (2024). Rethinking crime fiction readers. Creative Industries Journal, 17(1), 45-59. https://doi.org/10.1080/17510694.2022.2057063
Burgess, J., Loth, J., & de Klerk, S. (2024). ‘The theatre was dark’: exploring regional Australian theatre’s resilient response to COVID-19. Regional Studies, 58(6), 1282-1294. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2023.2234405
Burgess, J. & Jones, C. (2023). Investigating consumer perceptions of brand inauthenticity in a narrative brand ending. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 32(8), 1274-1286. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-03-2022-3897
Burgess, J., Williams, P., & Curran, A. (2023). ‘It’s almost a full-time job just marketing your own book’: understanding novelists marketing knowledge and practices. Creative Industries Journal, 58(6), 1282-1294. https://doi.org/10.1080/17510694.2023.2233982
Burgess, J., & Jones, C. (2021). Exploring player understandings of historical accuracy and historical authenticity in video games. Games and Culture, 17(5), 816-835. https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120211061853
English, P., de Villiers Scheepers, M. J., Fleischman, D., Burgess, J., & Crimmins, G. (2021). Developing professional networks: The missing link to graduate employability. Education+ Training, 63(4), 536-551. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-10-2020-0309
Burgess, J., & Jones, C. (2020). Exploring the forced closure of a brand community that is also a participatory culture. European Journal of Marketing, 54(5), 957-978. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-01-2019-0075
Jacqueline’s specialist areas of knowledge include the business of video games and other media, emotional attachments to narratives and characters in fiction and media, the brand management of fiction and media brands, brand management, political marketing and employability.
In the news
Chinese game Black Myth: Wukong tops Steam charts. What does it signify for the rest of the gaming world?
23 AugIf asked to name the biggest video game company in the world, you might think of icons such as Nintendo – the famed creator of Mario, Pokémon and the Legend of Zelda – or maybe PlayStation, the brand associated with mega hits such as Final Fantasy and Uncharted.
Market Australian-made to tap into video games popularity
21 AugAustralia’s video games development industry urgently needs better marketing to tap into the $3.9 billion spent nationally on buying games, according to new UniSC research.