Not many academics are able to bridge the world of research, education management, and digital innovation at once. However, Dr. R. A. Murti Kusuma Wirasti, M.Si., an alumnus of the Communication Science Doctoral program at FISIP UI, managed to place herself at the meeting point of these three things.
The academic who is familiarly called Murti, now serves as the Director of Innovation, Information Systems, and Ranking of the State University of Jakarta (UNJ). Although she has a background in Communication Science since her undergraduate degree, she chose to contribute to a field that has not received much attention from the public, namely becoming a lecturer at the UNJ Educational Technology Study Program.
Today, Murti leads initiatives to strengthen data- and technology-driven university governance. In fact, her professional work remains firmly grounded in the foundation of Communication Science that she studied during her Doctoral program at the UI Communication Science Postgraduate Program.
From Communication Science to Technology Innovation
Murti decided to continue her studies for a doctoral degree in Communication Science at the University of Indonesia in 2008. She made this decision after graduating from her master’s degree at the same university in 2002. At that time, she had been teaching for several years at UNJ.
Murti’s decision to continue his studies in Communication Science FISIP UI was not a spontaneous step. He saw the importance of deepening his understanding of Communication Science, especially in the context of communication and technology. Moreover, he does have an academic background in social and technological fields, as well as long experience in the university environment.
“The relevance of Communication Science to technology is important to understand the sociocultural context of society, if in the language of innovation it is user centered, so,” said Murti when interviewed online (08/11/2025).
Her dissertation for her doctorate was entitled “Communication Media and Traditional Javanese Families (A Study on the Use of Communication Media by Traditional Javanese Families in Dukuh Candirejo, Pomah Village, Tulung District, Klaten Regency, Central Java)”.
Her dissertation focused on the practice of using communication technology in a society with a very strong traditional Javanese culture. Murti conducted research for approximately two years to understand the sociocultural context of communication technology there. On June 4, 2015, Murti finally successfully defended his dissertation before the examiners.
Murti’s choice to research the use of communication technology was not without reason. In the early 2000s, he was a researcher at Microsoft Indonesia, especially in programs that focused on the impact of technology on teachers and education.
“I don’t research the hard technology, but more on the social impact, so I used to be a researcher for Microsoft Indonesia for social impact,” said Murti.
Application of Communication Science in the Professional World
As UNJ’s Director of Innovation, Information Systems, and Ranking, Murti leads the integration of various campus innovation policy systems, ranging from innovation downstreaming, campus ranking improvement systems, to partnership development at the national and international levels.
According to him, the scientific basis of communication is very relevant to his current work. “Communication science is very important in the process of downstreaming research results, which requires the ability to partner, lobby, and negotiate with various parties in the Indonesian context,” said Murti.
Murti also admitted that his ethnographic research experience during his doctoral program influenced his current innovation approach. According to him, the upstream of innovation products is an understanding of users, not just testing theories.
“Innovation must be market driven, developed based on user needs, not from theories, so that the innovation product has an impact,” Murti continued.
Although he was offered to teach in the field of Communication Science, Murti chose to stay in the field of educational technology. For Murti, the field gives her the opportunity to explore things that are still rarely researched in Indonesia.
The “Empty Hole” in Communication Studies
The experience of studying for a doctoral degree was a challenging moment for Murti. However, he admitted that he also experienced many valuable experiences while completing his studies with his colleagues. Especially the existence of study groups that are suitable and mutually reinforcing.
“College friends are very important to enrich us, not just to graduate quickly, but the research carried out gives meaning to the learning process, that’s what I feel the most,” Murti recalls.
For Murti, doctoral students of Communication Science must focus on developing new branches of Communication Science in the technological era. According to him, the study of Communication Science has many mosaics that leave “empty holes” to be filled. Therefore, Murti encourages active doctoral program students to move quickly to follow the technological leap. Especially to strengthen studies in the field of communication between machines and humans.
“The interest of young people to become researchers is getting lower, that is what needs to be considered together, especially those of us in S3 who will think about human resources in the development of Communication Science,” concluded Murti. (FSI)
