Her PhD thesis, entitled “Enlightenment was the Choice: Doctor Who and the Democratisation of Science” (available here), examined representations of the social, cultural, political and economic aspects of science in Doctor Who. She has since published several papers building on this research.
One of the papers, entitled “‘Sociopathetic abscess’ or ‘yawning chasm’? The absent postcolonial transition in Doctor Who”, looked at representations of colonialism and cosmopolitanism in Doctor Who, and was published in The Journal of Commonwealth Literature in 2010. The paper was then (mis)quoted in Wikipedia, which prompted a Wikipedia reader to contact Lindy to argue with her views (or what her views were misrepresented as being). From those email discussions, the idea for this book was born.
Lindy’s discipline is science communication, and her research interests include representations of science in popular culture, and the racial politics of science. Lindy’s research experience has thus not only extended to Doctor Who, it has also included working as a science researcher with the Yorta Yorta Nation, traditional owners of the Barmah-Millewa forest area of south-eastern Australia, on a campaign that aimed to gain justice for both land and people. The proposed book will bring together two things Lindy is passionate about: Doctor Who and race (and also, with any luck, science).
Lindy’s professional bio and publication record are available at http://cpas.anu.edu.au/person/dr-lindy-orthia.