Our expertise
What brings us together is working with communities and arts research to promote equitable, just and inclusive futures. We work on a range of topics including:
• autism and neuroinclusive design
• built environment and inclusivity
• community music
• diaspora and migration
• energy and climate change
• gender equity and women’s bodies
• grassroots sustainable fashion
• health and wellbeing
• peace and conflict
• resource justice and equitable access
Who we work with
PARTICIPATE members work with a range of organisations and institutions including non-governmental organisations, local government, community groups and universities here in the UK and internationally.
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Other organisations our members work with include:
- Fora/The Office Group, London
- Motionspot, Teddington
- Musicians Without Borders
- NHS, Learning Disability and Autism Programme
- Octagon
- SoundWave
- The Cold War Network
- Staynor Hall Community Primary Academy, Selby
- Studio Bark, London
- Universal Design Studio, London
Submit a PhD proposal to study with us
The PARTICIPATE research cluster at Leeds Beckett University’s School of Arts welcomes PhD proposals for pursuing both practice-based and research-focused projects. PARTICIPATE members include experienced PhD supervisors who are keen to support emerging scholars through their PhD journey.
Our expertise spans across a wide range of socially engaged topics, including:
- Visual culture and meaning-making across media
- Cold War cultures, politics and aesthetics
- Art and design as political protest and social movements
- Migration storytelling
- Autism, neurodiversity and inclusive design
- Digital public and immersive technologies
- Drawing, movement and embodied practices
- Creative wellbeing and arts therapy
- Sustainable fashion and circular design
- Energy, climate change and design justice
- Ethnomusicology and community music
- Practice-led and arts-based research methods
We have a particular focus on creative, participatory and co-design methods, always with an emphasis on equity, justice and inclusion. We especially encourage proposals that align with the interests of our members and connect diverse areas of research or practice.
Our members frequently collaborate with charities, local authorities, community groups, state and non-governmental institutions and universities—both in the UK and internationally. We are open to co-supervision across departments and institutions to provide PhD students with the best possible support.
As a PhD student at Leeds Beckett, you’ll be part of a wider research community with access to exciting projects and networks across the university and beyond.
To develop a proposal please use the guidance provided and contact us directly to find out more or to discuss your ideas. Please note we currently do not offer any studentships.
Visiting scholarship
Our members are excited to host visiting scholars that align with our values and areas of expertise, as well as opportunities to be hosted.
• In January 2025, the cluster welcomed Priscila Beni, a visiting PhD researcher from Brazil who was successful in gaining a one-month visiting scholarship from CAPES Brazil. She was embedded into the Autism Research Lab and hosted by Dr Marc Fabri. During her stay, Priscila met several autism researchers to find out about their work and also to obtain feedback on her own research plans and methodology.
• From February to July 2024, Dr Anne Schiffer was hosted by Professors Su Ping and Adam Grydehøj at South China University of Technology in Guangzhou. Their ongoing collaboration is exploring everyday water practices in urban villages.