Our Research
Our research in Music, Drama, Performing Arts, Film and Screen (including Computer Games), and Heritage/Museum Studies is organised within both interdisciplinary and subject-specific research groups, and we collaborate with colleagues across Ulster as part of the Creative Industries Institute (established in 2017).
Current projects include the £72-million Studio Ulster Belfast Region City Deal project, providing Northern Ireland's hub in the URKI (AHRC) CoSTAR Network Lab, and participating in Ulster's £457k+AHRC Impact Accelerator.
Recent projects led by this unit include the £13 million AHRC Creative Cluster, Future Screens NI, and the UKRI Covid Rapid Response project Museums, Crisis and Covid-19.
Over the last two REF cycles, our Research Impact has been judged to be at the very top of the UK field, with the unit being placed joint first in REF2021 and joint 2nd in REF2014.
Our research environment is now (as of REF2021) judged to be 100% 3*/4* ('internationally excellent' and 'world-leading), and our overall profile is 41% 4* 'world-leading', leading us to be ranked alongside many prominent research-intensive departments at other universities and in the conservatoire sector.
Themes and Subject Areas
Our research is centred within the following areas:
Subject areas:
- Music
- Drama
- Film and Screen Studies
- Computer Games
- Heritage and Museum Studies
Interdisciplinary themes and research groups:
- Arts practices, practice-as-research (incl. applied arts and creative industries and technologies)
- Arts, heritage, and conflict
Learn more about our Research, Groups and Centres
About our Research
A unique multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary environment for research within and between the fields of drama, film, music, heritage and museum...
Our People
Meet the staff behind our Music, Drama, Film and Screen, Computer Games, and Heritage/Museums research.
Visiting Professors
Visiting Professors within Music, Drama, Film and Heritage.
Music Research
Music at Ulster University has a vibrant community of practitioner-researchers.
Drama Research
Drama researchers at Ulster work as a research-intensive subject team within the field of drama and in interdisciplinary projects with...
Film and Screen Research
Film and Screen/Cinematic Arts at Ulster University is a new and vibrant area of research that combines theory and practice...
Heritage and Museum Studies Research
The heritage and museum studies subject at Ulster University has been established since 2001 and has maintained a vibrant research...
Facilities and Infrastructure
Our infrastructure includes specialist studios and performance spaces at our Derry ~ Londonderry and Belfast campuses, and we also have...
PhD Research: application processes and topics
PhD research can be pursued in the following individual subject areas: Cinematic Arts (film/moving image practice and film and screen...
Find out more about Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies Research
Conferences and Symposia
Previous conferences, symposia and festivals of Music, Drama, Film and Screen and Heritage research
Current and Recent PhDs
Our PhDs are a key, and growing, part of our research community.
Visiting and Postdoctoral Researchers
Postdoctoral researchers in Music, Drama, Film/Screen and Heritage/Museum Studies
Future Screens NI
Future Screens NI is a £13 million project within the AHRC/UKRI Creative Clusters programme, delivering expert technical skills, opportunity and...
Museums, Crisis and Covid19
This UKRI Rapid Response project focuses on how museums can contribute to community resilience and wellbeing in a time of...
Inclusive Creativity
Inclusive Creativity aims to level the playing field in performance and composition for disabled musicians by developing new technologies and...
Counting What Counts
Helping senior cultural decision-makers to understand the importance and potential of big data.
