The C3 Centre: Creative Industries and Creative Communities

Researchers, innovators, artists and creative thinkers passionate about co-creating with their surrounding communities and sectors.

Our aim

The C3 Centre: Creative Industries and Creative Communities engages in research that reflects the search for new conceptual and critical insights into practices used by individual artists, collectives and creative thinkers who are passionate about engaging, interacting and co-creating with their surrounding communities.

It focusses on those areas of Ceramics, Creative Industry and Creative Communities that make our region so impactful through its creative engagements and provides a single overarching structure for all staff working with our creative partners through the medium of arts in relation to the creative and cultural economy, society and sectors.

In short, it is not ‘about the arts’ but rather ‘through the arts’.

Group leaders

Professor Carola Boehm

Professor

Having degrees both from the arts (music) as well as the sciences (electrical engineering, computer science) I am a genuine interdisciplinarian.

Carola's profile

Professor Neil Brownsword

Professor

Prof. Brownsword is an artist, researcher and educator. His research into the legacy of deindustrialisation in relation to North Staffordshire's ceramic industry, has had national and international cultural impact.

Neil's profile

Professor Ian Brown

Professor

Prof. Brown’s research investigates how contemporary social identity is constructed through rituals of consumption within popular culture. His research also explores the Invented World and the Natural World, including plant/human relations.

Ian's profile

Dr Jackie Reynolds

Research Impact Manager Ass Professor

Jackie is Staffordshire University’s Research Impact Manager. She provides leadership and support on all aspects of planning, developing and evidencing the impact of Staffordshire University’s research beyond academia.

Jackie's profile

Researchers within The C3 Centre: Creative Industries and Creative Communities

Dr Marc Estibeiro

Associate Professor

Marc is the Course Leader for MA Music Production and teaches computer sound, advanced Pro Tools techniques, modern composition and music software design.

Marc's profile

Dr Dave Payling

Associate Professor

Dave is an audio-visual artist who holds a PhD in composition. His primary research focus is Electronic Visual Music and he teaches composition, audio-visuals and mastering at undergraduate and post-graduate levels

Dave's profile

Dr Agata Lulkowska

Senior Lecturer

Dr Agata Lulkowska is a Senior Lecturer in Film Production in the Department of Film, Media and Journalism. Agata’s background is in film practice, installations and photography.

Agata's profile

Professor Esther Maccallum-Stewart

Professor

Professor of Game Studies, specialising in player behaviour and analog games, including tabletop roleplaying games.

Esther's profile

Dr Andrew Stubbs-Lacy

Senior Lecturer

Dr. Andrew Stubbs is Senior Lecturer of Film Industries and Studies in the Department of Creative Industries where he leads on the critical, contextual and employability strands and produces high-quality research into the screen media industries.

Andrew's profile

Stephen Webley

Lecturer

Dr Mark Brown

Course Director

As well as being Course Leader for English and Creative Writing, Mark teaches on First Year core modules and American literature modules on Crime Fiction, the Contemporary, Modernism and Beat Writing. He also supervises MA and PhD students.

Mark's profile

Nicola Gratton

Lead Civic Eng'Ment & Evalu - Assoc Prof

Nicola leads on civic and community engagement strategy for Staffordshire University and is also an active participatory action researcher, supporting others to take part in researching and addressing issues that affect them.

Nicola's profile

Steven Speed

P/T Lecturer (Hrly) - Journalism

Steven is an award-winning digital media artist, photographer, writer and editor who has worked in the media for 20 years. Since joining us at Staffordshire University he has co-created the Digital Content Creation course.

Steven's profile

Professor David Webb

Professor

David is the course leader for Continental Philosophy. His expertise includes Modern European Philosophy, especially phenomenology, and French epistemology and philosophy of science (Heidegger, Levinas, Foucault, Serres, Bachelard, Cavaill&egrav…

David's profile

Anna Francis

Associate Professor

Anna Francis is an artist, educator and researcher whose work aims to create space to discuss and reframe city resources, through participatory art interventions.

Anna's profile

Michael Safaric Branthwaite

Course Director - Associate Prof.

I am a Contemporary Fine Artist as well as an active researcher in integrated practices. My main area of interest is the use of technology and the digitisation of History and Heritage

Michael's profile

Dr Michael Day

Senior Lecturer

Dr. Michael Day is an artist, researcher, lecturer, and occasional curator. He is interested in the ways that digital technologies can structure experience, and produces artworks that explore relationships between technology and agency.

Michael's profile

Dr Lynne Fanthome

Lecturer

Dr Sarah Key

Senior Lecturer

Graduating from the University of Derby in 1999 with first class honours, I consolidated my painting practice for a year at Banks’s Mill studios, before heading to London to study MA: Painting at Wimbledon School of Art…

Sarah's profile

Jon FAIRBURN

Emeritus Professor

Professor Jon Fairburn is active in teaching, research, bid writing and public engagement. He has incorporated credited work experience into geography and tourism degrees as well as the MSc Digital Marketing Management.

Jon's profile

Our projects

The C3 Centre: Creative Industries and Creative Communities website
in the UK for Quality Education

Sustainable Development Goal 4, Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2023

for Career Prospects

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

for Facilities

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

for Social Inclusion

The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023

of Research Impact is ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Very Considerable’

Research Excellence Framework 2021

of Research is “Internationally Excellent” or “World Leading”

Research Excellence Framework 2021

Four Star Rating

QS Star Ratings 2021