Research at
Manchester School of Art
Creating bold ideas and world-class research across architecture, art, design, digital arts, fashion and performance.
We’re proud to be one of the UK’s leading centres for creative research, recognised internationally for the impact of our work.
Whether we’re engaging with communities, influencing policy or exploring new technologies, we believe that creative research can be both exciting and impactful.
Through applied, practice-based approaches, we explore materials, culture, heritage, sustainability, wellbeing and more. We are inclusive and collaborative, blending creativity with areas like business, ecology, engineering and health to improve lives.
By REF 2029, we aim to become the UK’s top environment for creative research. We're building a culture that supports staff, nurtures talent and makes a real-world difference. We want our researchers to thrive, so they can:
- Lead world-class research projects.
- Undertake deep, meaningful work.
- Collaborate across disciplines to solve big challenges.
We are 2nd in the UK for research power, and 100% of our research impact is internationally excellent or world–leading.
Our research groups
Our research groups generate aspirational, applied and interdisciplinary research, with connections across the University.
Listed below are some of the research groups aligned to our subject areas. Find out more about research groups in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.
Art and Design
- Art Research Group
- Design Factory Manchester
- Design for Health and Wellbeing Research Group (DoWell)
- Transformative Practices
- Visual Culture Research Group
Digital Arts
- The Dark Arts Research Kollective (D∀RK)
- Embodied Experiences
- Media and Digital Culture
- Popular Screen Cultures Network
- Speculative Technologies
More about research in the School of Digital Arts (SODA)
Fashion
More about research in the Manchester Fashion Institute
Architecture
More about research in the Manchester School of Architecture.
