Creative Bridges - Connecting Diversity and Sustainability for UK Screen Industries

Four Arts and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Focal Awards are available in the School of Media and Communication for 2026/27 through the Creative Bridges doctoral training centre led by the University of Leeds and University of Warwick. This exciting opportunity allows students to pursue postgraduate research in a cutting-edge field that brings together the twin challenges of Diversity and Sustainability for the UK Screen industries (broadly defined as film, television, gaming and immersive media). Creative Bridges is an AHRC funded Doctoral Focal Award that will train PhD students in the latest knowledge, methods and skills for diversity and inclusion in the UK screen industries in ecologically safe ways. Students will be part of a cohort of PhD researchers who will bridge expertise from Media, Communication, Creative and Cultural Industries, Design, Performance, Immersive Technologies and Interdisciplinary Methodologies alongside industry partners. The training programme focuses on nurturing a new generation of researcher-practitioners to address current and future challenges for UK screen industries production and distribution, building co-supervision across UK regions to support diversity and sustainability R&D for the UK creative economy, and developing skills through experiential learning, creative and digital methods, practical experience, and communities of practice professional learning.