Staff Profile

Dr Paulina Kuranchie is a Strategic Communications lecturer, researcher, and practitioner. Her passion for Public Relations stems from her belief that PR can be a force for good.

Paulina is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), recognised for her leadership in programme and curriculum design, inclusive teaching practice, interdisciplinary collaboration, research supervision, and influencing colleagues in evidence-informed pedagogy. She has a particular interest in employability-focused education, authentic assessment, and industry-engaged learning that connects academic theory with professional practice.

She holds a PhD in Media Studies from the Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI), University of Westminster - UK, an MPhil in Communication and Media Studies (Business Communication) from the University of Education Winneba and a BSc in Physics from University of Cape Coast all in Ghana. Before joining MCH in 2023, she was Head of Department for PR, Graduate Programmes Coordinator and Lecturer in Public Relations at the Ghana Institute of Journalism, now University of Media Arts and Communication. She has also held adjunct positions at University of Westminster and University of East London.

Prior to joining academia, Paulina worked in policy advocacy as Corporate Affairs and Research Officer for Ghana Employers’ Association and as Corporate Communications Officer at Volta River Authority.

Paulina also works as a consultant and has consulted for organisations including Parliament of Ghana, Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa, UNICEF, and the United Nations Information Centre in Accra, as well as numerous public, private and third-sector organisations.

Paulina has received several awards including the Vice-Chancellor's Education Excellence Team Award 2026 for Embedding Industry Practice, Employability, and Pedagogical Innovation in PR and Strategic Communications Education. She was also named among the 15 African Communication Educators to Watch in 2026, Top Ten Women in PR by Women in PR Ghana in 2023, and again as one of the six most influential Ghanaian PR Women in 2017.

Paulina remains actively engaged with the communications profession through leadership and advisory roles, including serving on the Board Committee for Marketing and Promotions of Ghana's Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) and the Advisory Board of Women in PR Ghana.

Paulina has experience teaching subjects and curricular content in Media and Public Relations at undergraduate and post-graduate level; including introduction to PR, digital communication, crisis communication, CSR, PR strategy and campaign planning, measurement and evaluation, PR Consulting/Freelancing and ethics.

Modules Taught

Postgraduate:

MCH8008 : Media and Promotional Cultures

MCH8060 : Strategies and Management in PR

MCH8012 : Freelancing in Media and Communications

MCH8065 : Theoretical Approaches to PR

MCH8199 : Dissertation for MA Media and Public Relations (as supervisor)

MCH8058 : Methodologies: Researching Media, Culture & Society

MCH8099 : Media & PR Final Project

MCH8179 : Risk and Crisis Management

Undergraduate:

MCH1028 : Marketing Communication & Promotional Practices

MCH3075 : Research Dissertation

Dr Kuranchie's research interests are in postcolonial/decolonial approaches to media and communication. She also researches Public Relations, Political Public Relations, Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability and the Green Economy and technology/social media mediated corporate communications and employability-focused pedagogies in higher education.

Selected Publications

Asamoah, A. K. K. and Kuranchie, P. (2025). Assessing Internal Public Relationship Management in Ghana. In: Bosah, G., E. Hinson, R., Adae, E.K. (eds) Strategic Public Relations in Emerging Economies. Palgrave Studies of Marketing in Emerging Economies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-85344-9_11

Kuranchie P. (2024). Incompleteness: Donald Trump, Populism and Citizenship, Francis B. Nyamnjoh (2022). Journal of African Media Studies, 2024, Vol 16, Issue 1, p111. DOI: 10.1386/jams_00117_5

Nutsugah, N. Essandoh, M., Kuranchie P. and Kuupuolo (2022). Police-Citizen Communication In The Digital Age : Evidence From Information Police-Citizen Communication In The Digital Age. African Journal of Emerging Issues (AJOEI). Online ISSN: 2663-9335, Vol (4), Issue 9, Pg. 22-41

Kuranchie P. (2021). Gender Perspectives on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Practice in Mining Communities in Ghana: A Case Study of Newmont’s Akyem Mine. Central Inquiry, Vol. 4-5 No: 1,2021

Fosu M., Quashigah T., Kuranchie P. (2019). Broaching agenda for climate change in Africa: A perspective on media engagement with climatic issues in Ghana. Pinto, J.; Gutshe, R.E & Prado, P. (Eds) In Climate Change, Media & Culture: Critical Issues in Environmental Communication. pp. 93-111. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78769-967-020191008

Current Research

Paulina's current research projects address decolonial ethics in Public Relations teaching and practice. Her research explores how public relations ethics can be decolonised by challenging Western-centric assumptions and foregrounding diverse knowledge systems, lived experiences and community-based perspectives. 

Postgraduate Research Supervision

Jojo Alghamdi (Doctor of Philosophy): Negotiating Access and Privilege in Saudi Arabian Media Spaces: An Analysis of the Representation of Saudi Women in the Kingdom’s Media.

Dr Kuranchie welcomes enquiries from prospective PhD candidates interested in these research areas.