Dr Karen Sutherland is a Senior Lecturer in Public Relations at the University of the Sunshine Coast, and a Certified AI Consultant. Dr Sutherland has a strong track record of guiding organisations in leveraging AI to enhance efficiency and reduce costs, providing AI guidance to organisations such as Eumundi Markets and Noosa Council. Her accolades include the 2023 Book Excellence Award in Public Relations and multiple Stevie Awards in 2022. She has designed and delivered training and workshops globally for over a decade across various sectors like health, small business, and education.
Her research spans AI in strategic communication, B2B relationships, and social media practice. Dr Sutherland has authored two editions of her book 'Strategic Social Media Management – Theory and Practice' published by Palgrave Macmillan downloaded more than 160k times, and her next book, 'AI for Strategic Communication,' due for 2025 release. Dr Sutherland has featured in academic journals and media including ABC News Breakfast, Nine News, the Wall Street Journal and has been Ticker's AI and social media expert for the past five years.
Awards and Memberships
2024 2024 Vice-Chancellor and President’s Award for Excellence in Learning and Teaching
2023 Book Excellent Award, Public Relations
2022 Gold Stevie Award for Woman of the Year - Social Media
2022 Silver Stevie Award for Best Business Book
2022 Silver ROAR Award for Fearless Educator
2022 Book Excellence Award, Social Media
2021 DASSH Award for Education Innovation
2020 Social Media Marketing Institute’s Social Media Educator of the Year
2019 Fellow, British Institute of Innovative Enterprises
Professional Social Media
Professional Memberships
- Social Media Marketing Institute
Current research projects
|
Project Name |
Project Description |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Increasing Graduate Employability and Developing Social Media Proficiency as Professional Practice through Work Integrated Learning and Community Engagement |
This project involves students engaging with Sunshine Coast businesses and not-for-profits to complete a Work Integrated Learning (WIL) activity. |
|||||||
|
Applying student voices in the evaluation of current blended learning initiatives at USC |
This project aligns with USC’s BL Strategy 2017–2020 and includes the student voice across USC to evaluate current BL initiatives and determine their preferences for specific BL pedagogies in their learning experience |
|||||||
Research grants and commissions
|
Grant/Project name |
Investigators |
Funding body & A$ value |
Year(s) |
Focus (of research grant) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Overcoming Challenges in Business-to-Business Relationships Between Australian Small Business Owners and Digital Marketing Service Providers |
Dr Karen Sutherland (Lead), Associate Professor Rory Mulcahy, Dr Jacqueline Burgess, Professor Meredith Lawley, Mr David Fox |
Australian Small Business Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO), $20k |
2023 - 2024 |
Investigating why and how conflicts arise in the B2B relationship between SMEs and Digital Marketing Service Providers |
|
Applying student voices in the evaluation of current blended learning initiatives at USC |
Dr Karen Sutherland & Dr Ginna Brock (Chief Investigators) |
USC Commissioned Grant $20k |
2017-2019 |
The evaluation of current blended learning initiatives and determine their preferences for specific BL pedagogies in their learning experience |
|
Increasing Graduate Employability and Developing Social Media Proficiency as Professional Practice through Work Integrated Learning and Community Engagement |
Dr Karen Sutherland (Chief Investigator) Umi Khattab |
USC Exploratory Learning and Teaching Grant $15k |
2017-2019 |
Employer perceptions of social media skills and unprofessional behaviours impacting employability |
|
Increasing student engagement and community via the integration of social media technologies to enhance/inform blended learning at USC |
Dr Uwe Terton and Ms Irene Visser (Leads), Professor Cindy Davis and Dr Karen Sutherland |
USC Exploratory Learning and Teaching Grant $10k |
2015-2016 |
To increase student engagement and community via the integration of social media technologies to enhance/inform blended learning at USC |
|
Social Media for Digital Leaders |
Karen Sutherland and Dr Susie Ho |
Better Teaching, Better Learning Grant, Monash University (A$2,000) |
2014-2015 |
Multidisciplinary social media workshops for undergrads/social media pedagogy |
Research areas
- Social Media and employability
- Social Media and Public Relations
- social media pedagogy
- Transmedia Storytelling
Teaching areas
- Social Media
- Social Media Pedagogy
- Strategic Communication
- Public Relations
Sutherland, K., Mulcahy, R., Burgess, J., Lawley, M., & Fox, D. (2024). Digital Marketing Outsourcing Relationships Between SMEs and Service Providers: An Agency Theory Perspective. Australasian Marketing Journal, 14413582241303978.
Sutherland, K. E. (2024). Strategic social media management: Theory and practice 2nd Edition. Springer Nature.
Sutherland, K. E., & Barker, R. (2023). Transmedia Brand Storytelling: Immersive Experiences from Theory to Practice Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.
Sutherland, K., Freberg, K., Driver, C., & Khattab, U. (2020). Public relations and customer service: Employer perspectives of social media proficiency. Public Relations Review, 46(4), 101954.
Sutherland, K., Davis, C., Terton, U., & Visser, I. (2018). University student social media use and its influence on offline engagement in higher educational communities. Student Success, 9(2), 13-24.
Dr Sutherland’s specialist areas of knowledge include social media for business and nonprofit organisations, AI for strategic communication, work integrated learning, social media and employability, social media education, blended learning
In the news
One third of small businesses end up in dispute with digital marketing providers
18 Jan 2024Digital marketing can be vital to the success of a small business yet one-in-three end up in a dispute with their provider, according to new research by the University of the Sunshine Coast.
TikTok: Katelyn Flood and the Andy Cooks social media juggernaut
13 Sep 2023UniSC Communication graduate Katelyn Flood and her partner Andy Cooks turned misfortune into a social media success story that has seen them travel the world and collaborate with other like-minded celebrity chefs.