Current PhD Students

Shameela Yoosuf Ali

PhD Researcher

Shameela Yoosuf Ali is a journalist, bilingual writer, poet, and activist passionate about gender studies, social justice, early childhood, artivism and empowering marginalised communities, particularly Muslim women. She is the Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of FemAsia Magazine, a nonprofit online quarterly publication...

Joel Blackledge

Doctoral researcher

Joel Blackledge is an M4C-funded doctoral researcher examining the moving image media of the internet and its relation to cinema history. He is interested in histories of film style and technologies, and in the role of film practice to narrate them. Joel has previously worked for many years in media arts education, including...

Kejela K. Denbali

PhD Researcher

Prior to joining Birmingham City University as a PhD researcher, Kejela has worked in media industries in Ethiopia as a journalist, editor in chief, director, producer, and deputy general director for Oromia Broadcasting Network (OBN), and lastly for Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) before he moved to live in the United...

Lee Griffiths

Doctoral researcher

Lee studied jazz saxophone at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, graduating with a BMus (Hons) in 2016. He has performed all around the UK and abroad including appearances at Shambala Festival, Boomtown Festival, Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Pizza Express Jazz Club, and Cafe Oto. After finishing at RBC, Lee became involved with...

Reuben Mount

Doctoral researcher

Reuben is a postgraduate researcher in the School of Media at Birmingham City University and an active member of the BCMCR research clusters; participating in the Game Cultures cluster and forms part of the steering group for the BCMCR Research Events series in 2024. His core research focuses on the furry fandom and the...

Anna Neale-Widdison

PhD Researcher

Anna Neale has worked in the music industry professionally for over twenty years as a creative practitioner (artist, songwriter, composer, recording engineer and producer), academic and industry consultant. Anna has toured the world, released three albums and two EPs independently to critical acclaim, written songs for other...

Benjamin Torrens

Doctoral researcher

Benjamin Torrens is a Midlands4Cities-funded doctoral student in the School of Media, within the Faculty of Arts, Design and Media at Birmingham City University. His PhD is entitled ‘Dance a yard before you dance abroad: reggae as a music production culture in Jamaica and Britain, 1968 – 1981’. Ben is a member of the...