Dominik Havsteen-Franklin’s work explores how arts therapies and creative health practices contribute to personal, social, technological, and systemic change. As Professor of Practice in Arts Therapies at Brunel University London and Consultant in Arts Psychotherapies at Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, he works across clinical practice, research, education, public health, digital innovation, and cultural partnership. His scholarship is concerned with the conditions through which change becomes possible. Drawing on complexity theory, critical realism, new materialist and posthumanist thought, systems thinking, ecological models, mentalization-based approaches, and critically pluralist arts therapies theory, Dominik examines how wellbeing emerges through relations between people, materials, places, institutions, cultures, technologies, and forms of knowledge. A central theme in his recent work is the relationship between creativity, artificial intelligence, and wellbeing. He is interested in how AI and digital systems organise patterns of convergence and divergence: how they can narrow complex experience through prediction, classification, optimisation, and repetition, but also how they may support generative reflection, relational insight, and imaginative forms of inquiry when developed within ethical and participatory frameworks. His methodological work spans realist evaluation, arts-based inquiry, participatory research, mixed-methods evaluation, psychometric development, and complexity-informed programme design. He is particularly interested in methods that can account for emergence, uncertainty, power, context, and lived experience, especially where conventional models of evidence struggle to capture the relational, material, and ecological dimensions of arts-based practice. Dominik’s current projects include research on ethical digital creative health through p_ART_icipate!, education and wellbeing through the Art of Wellbeing in Education Project, AI-informed approaches to relational and linguistic change in mental health contexts, and creative systems approaches to NHS team development and organisational learning (CaRE Project). His work with teams focuses on how affect, communication, leadership, professional identity, institutional pressures, and psychological safety interact within complex organisational ecologies. Across these projects, Dominik works with partners in health services, higher education, cultural organisations, digital innovation, community settings, and international arts therapies networks. His research seeks to develop approaches that are theoretically rigorous, practically useful, and accountable to the communities, practitioners, institutions, and technologies through which contemporary wellbeing practices are shaped.
The Arts and Health subject area, in Arts and Humanities at Brunel University London is offering a part funded PhD studentship to start in the academic year of 2023. The studentship, which will be funded by the CNWL NHS Foundation Trust, is for 4 years starting on 1st October 2023. The successful applicant will have access to a training grant for research and fieldwork related costs, plus full payment of UK/EU tuition fees. The studentship is open to all UK and EU applicants.
Awardees must provide occasional teaching as a General Teaching Assistant (GTA) and may be asked to help with research in Arts & Health, leadership, and arts therapies. Work undertaken will be in collaboration with our health partner CNWL NHS Foundation Trust.
Investigation into creativity, new materialism, power relations and leadership have generated meaningful discourses about the future of the NHS and how organisational change can have a meaningful impact on the delivery of services and patient experience. The complexity of intersections between physical health, mental health, cultures, populations and staff support and wellbeing are key factors of consideration with the development of NHS leadership environments.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on politics, society, global concerns, and communities. This has led to a greater demand for effective healthcare. Our NHS sponsor is offering an opportunity to explore creative leadership, healthcare changes, and the future of leadership. Leadership can be redefined according to the ways in which we understand the transversal relationships between healthcare staff, infrastructures, physical environment, politics, culture, and society. We are particularly interested in theoretical discourse and creative mixed methods that are developed in the context of recent theories of post-humanism, new materialism and neo-materialism. Potential areas of investigation could include creative models for healthcare leadership and how this affects place-based roles and power relations; the role of the creative leader within the development of inclusive healthcare models; the relationship between cultural groups, creative leadership and healthcare; the role of co-creation, leadership and heritage in partnership healthcare policy. These are only some of many lines of enquiry and responses that are welcomed to inform the development of future leadership models in healthcare.
We positively encourage applications from groups under-represented in postgraduate research, including (but not limited to) women, LGBTQ+ candidates, Global Majority / BAME candidates, candidates with disabilities, candidates with caring responsibilities, and care leavers.
This role will be situated in Brunel University London and CNWL NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL) one of the largest, most progressive healthcare providers in the UK.
Your supervisory team will comprise Prof. Dominik Havsteen-Franklin, Claire Grant and relevant support based on your academic needs.
Eligibility
The studentship is awarded based on outstanding academic merit.
Candidates should have an undergraduate degree (first or upper second class) in a relevant subject. A Master’s degree is an advantage but not essential, preferably at distinction level or equivalent.
How to apply
How to apply
If you wish to apply, please email the Prof. Dominik Havsteen-Franklin, dominik.havsteen-franklin@brunel.ac.uk no later than Saturday 5th August.
To apply you will need:
- Your up to date CV
- A one A4 page personal statement setting out why you are a suitable candidate (i.e. your skills and experience)
- A research proposal offering an outline of the project, including background, methods and pathways to impact. Your proposal should be a minimum of 3500 words (excluding references) and no more than 5000 words.
- Your degree transcripts and/or certificates
- Names and contact details for two academic referees
Interviews will take place online on Tuesday 15th August 2023.
Any offer will be subject to a successful application for the integrated PhD degree programme. More details are here:
https://www.brunel.ac.uk/research/Research-degrees/Brunel-Integrated-PhD
If you are offered a place, you will need to complete an online application via the following website, meeting the University academic entry requirements and being offered a place on the course:
http://www.brunel.ac.uk/bbs/research/phd-programme/how-to-apply
Further information
If you have any questions about the application process, please contact our Integrated PhD office: +44 (0)1895 265599