Dr Darren Berkland

Overview

Life Before Ulster

Dr. Darren Berkland moved to the United Kingdom in 2017 to complete their PhD on the selfie, following a decade-long career teaching literature and cultural studies in South Africa. Their doctoral research examined how our screens and gestures—when combined with an always-on front-facing camera—uniquely position the subject in relation to our postdigital landscape.

After completing their dissertation and earning a PhD in 2023, they moved into a teaching-focused role within Coventry University’s Media and Communications degree. Six months later, they were promoted to Course Director of Digital Media.

Alongside their academic career, Darren maintained an extensive freelance practice in PR and marketing, graphic design, copywriting, and video game writing.

They left Coventry and joined Ulster University in 2024.

Teaching

Dr. Darren Berkland’s teaching at Ulster primarily focuses on embedding critical creative coding into the Digital Media Production curriculum. They currently lead modules on Web Design, Interactive Media, Digital Storytelling, and Project-Social.

Prior to joining Ulster, Darren taught across various disciplines. Since 2017, however, their focus has been on (digital) media studies, video game production, and narratology.

While teaching in South Africa, Darren taught postcolonial literature and graphic design.

Research

Dr. Berkland’s research centres on screens, gestures, and interfaces within a broader social context, using critical methods to examine the relationship between individuals and increasingly pervasive digital assemblages. They also write on video game cultures.

Since 2023, they have engaged in more practice-led research in immersive production, projection mapping, and creative coding—drawing upon phenomenologies of space and the work of Vilém Flusser.

Civic Roles

Dr. Berkland has led several beginner-level creative coding workshops as part of their community outreach efforts. These workshops aim to demonstrate the accessibility of code as a creative medium, while also helping the public better understand their relationship with computers.

They also serve as Postgraduate Tutor for Ulster’s Centre for Communication, Media and Cultural Studies.