The Institute for Creative Futures is an innovative hub that merges the cutting-edge fields of design innovation and creative technologies. Combining expertise and forward-thinking approaches in design innovation, media and the creative industries, The Institute brings together diverse disciplines to tackle contemporary global challenges. We are dedicated to exploring how design innovation and creative technologies can drive social, cultural, and economic transformation and equip the next generation of leaders with the skills knowledge and expertise needed to shape the future of the creative industries.

We are a vibrant, enthusiastic, and forward-thinking community, where world-leading academics and talented students work closely together to research world leading inventions. We foster a culture of experimentation and interdisciplinary collaboration to drive real-world impact.

By pursuing one of our postgraduate research programmes, research students will have the opportunity to work with top researchers and industry leaders and gain first-hand experience of real-life problem solving.

The Institute maintains a strong interest in the relationships between media and communication and technological, social and cultural change.

Current research considers the implications of technological transformations and social change, including social, cultural, political and economic relationships and movements, as well as social media and activism in contemporary and historical contexts.

As a whole, the Institute has a particular strength in ethnography, participatory approaches, oral histories, archival research and textual analysis.

The Institute explores the application of these methodological approaches to critical studies of gender, sexuality, identity, race and ethnicity. The Institute is also interested in notions of mobility (people and technologies), place, creativity and labour, and the communication practices and infrastructures that connect and disconnect, enable and constrain.

Our academics cover a range of research interests including legacy and new media and communication structures, regulations and practices. The Institute has experience of conducting empirical research across the globe and is particularly interested in global perspectives on media, communication and social change.

Your future career

As well as providing a route into academia, studying a PhD will give you the expertise and skills required to advance your career in a wide range of professions, vocations and businesses.