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Arts and humanities

Challenging existing knowledge in order to identify its limitations

Doctoral College studentship applications are now closed. Applications with alternative sources of funding are still welcomed against a research project of your own formulation, or against the topics listed in the areas below:

The Faculty of Arts explores research inter-relating critical theory, contemporary practices and their histories, generating fresh fields of interdisciplinary enquiry, and stimulating new understanding that questions current practices.

Working closely with the Faculty’s Schools, the Centre for Research and Development (Arts) (CRD) oversees all research in the Faculty:

  • fostering and promoting research excellence across the arts disciplines: design, architecture, the creative and performing arts, media and the humanities
  • supporting, encouraging and developing staff and postgraduate students
  • enhancing society's understanding of human culture and creativity, past and present.

Research centres and groups provide foci that reflect the richness of our research interests.  The Faculty has a wealth of research materials in the world-class Design Archives and Screen Archive South East (SASE). For the last 16 years we have enjoyed a productive formal relationship with the Victoria & Albert Museum, currently augmented by two AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Awards. Other current AHRC studentships include CDAs with the Design Museum (2) and Chartered Society of Designers, along with 8 AHRC awards won in the 2011-14 Capacity Building competition.

Our interdisciplinary research is apparent in the work with:

  • the Brighton Business School (BBS) and others collaborating on the FUSE project – a £1M project to analyse the formation of the creative cluster, which brings employment and wealth creation to Brighton;
  • also with BBS on the convergence of design, innovation and management;
  • the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research in Bergen and the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading to devise sound and kinetic pieces;
  • nanotechnology scientists at the universities of Liverpool, Nottingham and Sheffield to produce large-scale kinetic sculptures, as seen in the current Giants of the Infinitesimal at the Museum of Science & Industry, Manchester;
  • the Faculty of Science and Engineering bringing together architecture, design, textiles and nanotechnology to use smart materials in applications ranging from sun cancer prevention to structural analysis of buildings following earthquakes;
  • Groups engaged in understanding conflict resolution (e.g. in Northern Ireland) through the Centre for Research in Memory, Narrative and Histories: researching on the complex relationships between present and past; dealing with subordinate and marginalised histories, archive practices and the complexities of popular memory and: drawing on a wide range of disciplines.
  • the University’s Cultural Informatics Research Group (CIRG) on a variety of projects including with the Public Monument and Sculptures Association (PMSA) on their regional archive of Sussex sculptures and with the Design Archives on producing an atlas of the design profession.
  • In building a sustainable research environment the Faculty has also keenly supported PhD programmes such as the AHRC-funded enquiry into design for rheumatoid arthritis, bringing together research in design, the Brighton & Sussex Medical School, and ageing in the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences.

If you are looking to study at PhD level and share these values, please do follow the links on this page and explore the topics on offer.