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Research

We produce innovative and interdisciplinary research that develops employable graduates and has a strong impact on the academic and professional world.

Research underpins our approach to teaching and learning at Kent. Our vibrant, interdisciplinary research activities are open to all undergraduate and postgraduate students, staff, and members of the public. Through our relationships with regional, national and international partners and our outward-facing ethos we aim to have a positive and valuable impact on the world around us.

We cover a wide range of specialisms and are at the forefront of practice-as-research, with many staff working as practitioners within the arts industry. As well as being taught and supervised by world-leading experts, students benefit from opportunities to engage in research projects and gain valuable hands-on experience. 

World-leading experts

Our lecturers are respected practitioners within the field. Many are active researchers who contribute to contemporary debate through their publications.

Close-up of academic Olly Double

Who's the person we see on stage?

Dr Olly Double explores stage personas and alternate personalities in stand-up comedy

Research centres, groups and networks

The Jarman Building at night with two people standing outside

Aesthetics Research Centre

The Aesthetics Research Centre coordinates, enables and promotes research in philosophy of art and aesthetics.

Composers and Technology

Examining the role and influence of new and recent technologies in the creation, performance and dissemination of new music.
Row of people during a dance rehearsal

European Theatre Research Network

Our premise is that European theatre is not a coherent formula of aesthetic and artistic practices but a landscape of local contexts and discourses.
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Film, Media and Culture Research Group

This group specialises in research that is collaborative, high impact, international and interdisciplinary in scope.
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Histories: Art, Drama and Film Research Group

The Histories Research Group brings together staff and students whose research involves a cultural historical approach to their field.
A group of students perform on stage in an empty theatre

Identities, Politics and the Arts Research Group

We bring together arts researchers and colleagues who share interests in issues of identity, community, diversity and agency.

Music and Health

Promoting a developing community in the fields of music, health and wellbeing.
Two female students perform on stage

Performance and Theatre Research Group

The Group’s mission is to create a warm and dynamic research community, welcoming everybody from fresher to professor.

REF success

Following the most recent Research Excellence Framework, the School of Arts was ranked 9th in the UK by Times Higher Education.
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Picture by Osman Rana. Unsplash.

Imagining autism

Study shows how drama intervention improves communication skills of children with autism

Our research: making a difference

Our vibrant research culture is characterised by being civically-engaged, inclusive, and interdisciplinary.

Civically-engaged: our world-leading research is supported by strong relationships with regional, national and international partners and our success in winning high-profile funding. We have particular expertise in research involving community-participation and which results in real-world impact on industry, charities and healthcare.

Inclusivity: we recognise and value the contributions of researchers at all levels of their career, from first-year undergraduates to professors. All are welcome to participate in our lively programme of research events, including international exchanges, conferences, seminars and symposia. We are recognised for being at the forefront of practice-led research, supported by our excellent studio and technical facilities. Our research also underpins all our activities, with students benefitting from research-led teaching and extracurricular opportunities to get involved in research projects.

Interdisciplinarity: as a multidisciplinary School, our research is diverse and is supported by a range of research groups. Broadly these cover the disciplines of art history, drama and performance, film, media studies, and music & audio technology but our research is characterised by collaborations with researchers in the humanities, sciences and social sciences. 

Areas of particular expertise include: aesthetics and philosophies of the arts; histories of theatre, art, and culture; psychology and cognitive approaches to the arts; health, wellbeing, disability, autism and the arts; contemporary European theatre and performance; melodrama; audiences, adaptation and translation; comedy, stand-up, and popular performance; dance and physical theatre; psychology of music; community music and education; popular music studies and ethnomusicology.

Visit our people page to discover more about our academic staff, their interests and activities, and how to contact them.

In the news

Still image of female in bath from The Cracks short film

Film student selected for international film festivals

MA Film with Practice student Catriona Blackburn was selected for submission to five international film festivals for her short film 'The Cracks'.
Man looking at a computer screen

Incels documentary features Kent digital culture expert

A BBC documentary on incels featuring University digital culture expert Dr Kaitlyn Regehr, attracted widespread media coverage.
Jarman building, home of the School of Arts, at night

Students to help Canterbury’s Beaney record its art collection

History of art students at the University are to work with Canterbury’s Beaney House of Art and Knowledge under a new internship scheme.
Dr Helen Brooks with Dan Snow

Dr Helen Brooks features in Dan Snow documentary on WWI

Research from a University-based public engagement centre features in a new documentary on the untold stories of the First World War.