BIO

ACADEMIC BIO (short)

Thi Ngoc Bich (Becky) Pham is a Ph.D. Candidate (Communication) at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California. She researches how families, young people and immigrant communities use digital media and consume popular culture, and how their media engagement shapes their communication and lived experience. Her research has been published in Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, Journal of Children and Media, New Media & Society, and in notable edited volumes. Her writing for general audience has appeared on Psychology Today, Greater Good Magazine, and The Connected Learning Alliance Blog. She has appeared on ABC7 Eyewitness News and her work has been covered by DEADLINE, IndieWire, Kidscreen, and SBS Evening News, among others. For more information, visit https://beckypham.com/

ACADEMIC BIO (long)

Thi Ngoc Bich (Becky) Pham is a Ph.D. Candidate (Communication) at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California (USC). She researches how families, young people and immigrant communities use digital media and consume popular culture, and how their media engagement shapes their communication and lived experience. Her research has been published in Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, Journal of Children and Media, New Media & Society, and in notable edited volumes. Her writing for general audience has appeared on Psychology Today, Greater Good Magazine (based at the University of California, Berkeley), and The Connected Learning Alliance Blog (stewarded by the University of California, Irvine). She has appeared on ABC7 Eyewitness News and her work has been covered by DEADLINE, IndieWire, Kidscreen, and SBS Evening News, among others.

Becky is a Fellow with the Center for Scholars and Storytellers at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Social Media Editor to the Intellect journal Transitions: Journal of Transient Migration.

Becky was born and raised in the south of Vietnam in the 1990s and the 2000s. She moved to Singapore where she studied and worked in the 2010s. In the 2020s, she moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue her Ph.D. in Communication. She holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences, First Class Honors (2014) and a Master of Arts (2017) from the Department of Communications and New Media, National University of Singapore (NUS), for which she was awarded the ASEAN Undergraduate Scholarship and NUS Tuition Fee Waiver for Graduate Students. She also holds a Master of Arts (2022) from USC, for which she was awarded the Annenberg Fellowship.

Becky speaks Vietnamese (native), English (proficient), and has an unsystematic but evolving knowledge of elementary Simplified Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. For more information, visit https://beckypham.com/

BIO FOR ENGLISH-SPEAKING GENERAL AUDIENCE

Becky Pham (Master of Arts, University of Southern California) is a social science researcher in communication and media studies. She is working on her Ph.D. at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at USC. She specializes in researching digital media use and popular culture consumption by parents, young people and immigrant communities. She firmly believes in translating academic research for societal benefit. Her writing has appeared on Psychology Today. She has appeared on ABC7 Eyewitness News and her work has been covered by DEADLINE, IndieWire, Kidscreen, and SBS Evening News. She has more than 2 years of working experience (ad-hoc basis) with non-profit organizations in the US and the UK. She also has more than 4 years of teaching experience in higher education in the US and Singapore. She speaks Vietnamese (native), English (proficient), and has an unsystematic but evolving knowledge of elementary Simplified Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. For more information, visit https://beckypham.com/

BIO FOR VIETNAMESE-SPEAKING GENERAL AUDIENCE / TIỂU SỬ TIẾNG VIỆT

Phạm Thị Ngọc Bích (tên tiếng Anh: Becky Pham) là một nhà nghiên cứu khoa học xã hội về phương tiện và thiết bị truyền thông. Chuyên môn của cô tập trung vào sự ảnh hưởng của truyền thông và văn hoá đại chúng lên cha mẹ, con cái, và cộng đồng người nhập cư. Cô được sinh ra và lớn lên ở miền Nam Việt Nam, sau đó du học và sinh sống ở Singapore và California, Mỹ. Cô có bằng Cử Nhân và Thạc Sĩ ngành Truyền Thông từ Đại Học Quốc Gia Singapore (NUS), và bằng Thạc Sĩ thứ hai ngành Truyền Thông từ Đại Học Nam California (USC). Cô hiện đang làm chương trình Tiến Sĩ ngành Truyền Thông cũng tại Đại Học Nam California (USC). Cô có hơn 2 năm kinh nghiệm làm việc với các tổ chức phi lợi nhuận tại Mỹ và Anh Quốc, và hơn 4 năm kinh nghiệm giảng dạy đại học ở Mỹ và Singapore. Để biết thêm thông tin chi tiết, truy cập vào trang https://beckypham.com/.

EDUCATION

2019-2024 (expected), Ph.D. in Communication
USA, California
University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
- Specialized tracks: (1) New Media & Technology, (2) Media, Culture, & Community
- Committee: Professor Henry Jenkins (Chair, USC Annenberg), Research Professor Colin Maclay (USC Annenberg), Associate Professor Lan Duong (USC Cinematic Arts), Professor Lori Lopez (Wisconsin-Madison, Communication Arts), Associate Professor Tasha Oren (Tufts, Film and Media Studies)

2019-2022, Master of Arts in Communication
USA, California
University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

2015-2017, Master of Arts in Communications & New Media
Singapore
National University of Singapore, Department of Communications and New Media
- Thesis Title: "Parental Mediation of Pre-schoolers' Tablet Usage in Vietnam."

2010-2014, Bachelor of Social Sciences (First Class with Honours) in Communications & New Media
Singapore
National University of Singapore, Department of Communications and New Media
- Thesis Title: "ICT Use of Vietnamese Migrant Students in Singapore to Connect with Left-behind Families and Friends."

2006-2009, Vietnamese Baccalaureate Diploma
Vietnam, Dong Nai Province
Luong The Vinh High School for the Gifted, majored in English Language (Vietnamese: THPT chuyên Lương Thế Vinh, tỉnh Đồng Nai, chuyên Anh)

2002-2006, Vietnamese Secondary School Diploma
Vietnam, Dong Nai Province
Nguyen Binh Khiem Secondary School, majored in Literature (Vietnamese: THCS Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm, Biên Hoà, tỉnh Đồng Nai, chuyên Văn)

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

August 2020 - now, Graduate Teaching Assistant
USA, California
University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

February 2019 - August 2019, Senior Research Assistant
Singapore
Singapore University of Technology and Design, Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS)

March 2017 - February 2019, Research Assistant
Singapore
Singapore University of Technology and Design, Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS)

January 2015 - December 2016, Graduate Teaching Assistant
Singapore
National University of Singapore, Department of Communications and New Media

May 2014 - December 2014, Research Assistant
Singapore
National University of Singapore, Department of Communications and New Media

May-July 2012, Intern (Corporate Communications)
Singapore
Singapore International Foundation

fellowships, HONORS & AWARDS

2023, Summer 2023 EASC Graduate Fellowship (USD$1,500), East Asian Studies Center, University of Southern California, USA
2023, Graduate School Summer Research and Writing Grant (USD$2,000), The Graduate School, Office of the Provost, University of Southern California, USA
2023, Annenberg Graduate Fellowship Research and Creative Project Symposium (USD$1,500), The Graduate School, Office of the Provost, University of Southern California, USA
2022, Annenberg Summer Education Fellowship (USD$2,000), to receive more training at the 2022 ICPSR Summer Program in Quantitative Methods of Social Research, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California, USA
2022, Annenberg Graduate Fellowship Research and Creative Project Symposium (USD$500), The Graduate School, Office of the Provost, University of Southern California, USA
2022, Fellowship, Center for Scholars & Storytellers (CSS), Psychology Department, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
2021, Junior Fellowship, Center for Scholars & Storytellers (CSS), Psychology Department, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
2020, Program Scholar with Developmental, Child and Family Psychology Scholarship, to receive training at the 2020 ICPSR Summer Program in Quantitative Methods of Social Research (program fee worth USD$3,500), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, USA [link]
2020, Annenberg Summer Research Fellowship (USD$1,650), Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California, USA
2020, Annenberg Graduate Fellowship Research and Creative Project Symposium (USD$1,500), The Graduate School, Office of the Provost, University of Southern California, USA [link]
2020, Travel/Research Award (USD$1,000), The Graduate School, Office of the Provost, University of Southern California, USA
2020-2024, Annenberg Graduate Assistantship, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California, USA
2019-2024, Annenberg Fellowship, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California, USA
2018, Travel Grant Award (SGD$350), Digital Transactions in Asia 2018 conference, October 10-12, Manila, the Philippines, organised by The University of Queensland, Australia and De La Salle University, Manila, the Philippines
2016, Conference Sponsorship for Graduate Students (SGD$2,000), Academic Research Fund to attend the 66th ICA conference, June 9-13, Fukuoka, Japan, awarded by National University of Singapore and Singapore's Ministry of Education, Singapore
2015-2016, Graduate Tutor Assistantship (GTA), National University of Singapore, Singapore
2015-2016, NUS Tuition Fee Allowance/Waiver (TFW) for Graduate Students, National University of Singapore, Singapore
2014, Dean's Scholar List plus SGD$500 (Undergraduate top 1%), National University of Singapore, Singapore
2014, Dean's List (Undergraduate), National University of Singapore, Singapore
2014, Dean's List (Undergraduate), National University of Singapore, Singapore
2012, Dean's List (Undergraduate), National University of Singapore, Singapore
2011, Dean's List (Undergraduate), National University of Singapore, Singapore
2010-2014, ASEAN Scholarship for International Undergraduate Students, National University of Singapore, Singapore
2009, Top Scorer, Entrance Examination to Foreign Trade University (Ho Chi Minh campus) (Vietnamese: Thủ Khoa Khối D, thi tuyển vào Đại Học Ngoại Thương, Cơ Sở II), Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam [link]
2008, 2nd Prize, National Competition for Gifted Students in English Language (Vietnamese: Giải Nhì Học Sinh Giỏi Quốc Gia, môn Anh), Vietnam
2008, Gold Medal, Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted's 30/4 Olympic Competition in English Language (Vietnamese: Huy Chương Vàng, Cuộc thi Olympic truyền thống 30/4, môn Anh, tổ chức bởi THPT chuyên Lê Hồng Phong), Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
2005, 2nd Prize, Provincial Competition for Gifted Students in Vietnamese Literature (Vietnamese: Giải Nhì Học Sinh Giỏi Tỉnh, môn Văn, tổ chức bởi Sở Giáo Dục & Đào Tạo tỉnh Đồng Nai), Dong Nai Province, Vietnam