Program Overview

Introduction to Birmingham City University

Birmingham City University is a large and diverse university with over 31,000 students from more than 100 countries. The university is set in the heart of Birmingham and focuses on practice-based learning.

About the University

The university has a range of schools and subjects, including:

• Art, Architecture and Design
• Business
• Built Environment
• Computing and Digital Technology
• Education and Social Work
• Engineering
• Life and Sport Sciences
• English
• Health and Social Care
• Law
• Media and Cultural Studies
• Music and Performance
• Psychology
• Social Sciences

Courses

The university offers a wide range of contemporary courses, built with practice-based learning and international opportunities at every stage. Courses are available at various levels, including:

• Foundation
• Undergraduate
• Postgraduate Taught
• Postgraduate Research
• Apprenticeships Courses can be studied full-time, part-time, or online, and the university also offers short courses and continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities.

Research

The university's researchers and research centres aim to make an original contribution to knowledge and the world. Research areas include:

• Art, Architecture and Design
• Business
• Built Environment
• Computing and Digital Technology
• Education and Social Work
• Engineering
• Life and Sport Sciences
• English
• Health and Social Care
• Law
• Media and Cultural Studies
• Music and Performance
• Psychology
• Social Sciences

PhD Studentships

The university offers PhD studentships, including a 48-month funded PhD studentship in the area of "Playing in Public: Game-Based Interventions for Sustainability, Community and Environmental Engagement". The studentship includes a full-time home tuition fee scholarship and a tax-free stipend of Ł21,805 per year.

Project Description

The project explores socio-economic and environmental challenges faced by local communities, contextualised in local histories, through playful interventions with CreaTech, tested through public activations. The project asks several research questions, including:

• How can game-led media arts interventions successfully engage diverse audiences with sustainability?
• How can gamifying the public realm bring people together to support social cohesion and reduce social isolation?
• How can playful interventions incorporate data to increase understanding of hyperlocal changes and challenges in urban environments?
• How have public play practices changed since pre-2020?
• How can engagement with nature through CreaTech improve health and wellbeing?
• How can we celebrate local/community histories/heritage through immersive storytelling?

Methodology

The project draws together work around communities, place, and play, mapping a state of the field in terms of theory and practice. It explores interventions that have focused on community orientation, site-specific audience engagements in urban and industrial environments, and the role of play in bridging these domains and fostering a sense of belonging and social purpose.

Collaboration

The project will be a collaboration with Birmingham Open Media (BOM), a hotbed of experimental research with CreaTech and a dynamic new cultural anchor. BOM offers space to explore and develop practice-based research interventions that activate the surrounding public realm and draw audiences together.

Person Specification

The successful candidate will have:

• Knowledge of, and experience using, a range of different creative technologies (e.g. VR, AR, XR, 360 video, binaural sound) and software packages (e.g. Unreal, Unity, Godot)
• A track record of high academic achievement or equivalent professional experience
• A track record of successful delivery of playful projects
• Experience in successful project management
• Strong organisational skills
• Clear written and oral communication skills
• Evidence of ability to work independently and in collaboration with project partners
• Adaptability, and openness and responsiveness to feedback

Entry Requirements

To apply for the Media and Cultural Studies PhD research degree, candidates should have, or expect to be awarded, a Masters degree in a relevant subject area from a British or overseas university. Exceptional candidates without a Masters degree, but holding a first class Bachelors degree in media studies, may be considered. International applicants must also provide a valid English language qualification, such as International English Language Test System (IELTS) or equivalent with an overall score of 7.0 with no band below 6.5 or equivalent.