Notes on Contributors
Minaam Abbas
is a physician-scientist whose research focuses on cancer drug development as well as public health initiatives in Pakistan. He is a co-founder of Cambridge Genetix, a company developing cell and gene therapies. He also supervises medical undergraduates at various colleges at the University of Cambridge.
Marisa de Andrade
is a senior lecturer, Health Science and Society, co-director of the Birks Hub and Associate Director of the Centre for Creative-Relational Inquiry at the University of Edinburgh, UK. Marisa uses ‘traditional’ and (post-)qualitative methodologies to situate arts at the helm of strategic decision making across multiple sectors including health and social care, employability, education and social justice.
Danilo Audiello
is the co-founder of the Academy of Magic & Science, the science communication initiative founded in the accelerator of the Judge Business School of Cambridge University. He holds a PhD in economics. Also known as Alexis Arts, he is an illusionist, creative director and holder of seven Guinness World Records. He has won the Mandrake d’Or in Paris (the ‘Oscar’ of illusionists) and the FISM World Championship prize for the best grand illusion act. His performances combine illusion with other artistic disciplines and have been featured in major theatres worldwide. Danilo lives in Italy.
Nicole Brown
is head of Research Ethics and Integrity at the Institute of Education and Associate Professor at University College London, UK. She is also Director of Social Research & Practice and Education Ltd. Her expertise lies in social research practice. She is a fiction writer, poet, educator and activist. Her publications include Photovoice reimagined (2024), Creativity in education: International perspectives (2024), Making the most of your research journal (2021) and Embodied inquiry: Research methods (2021).
Pamela Burnard
is a professor of Arts, Creativities and Educations, University of Cambridge, UK. With 20 books including Doing rebellious research in and beyond the academy (2022), and over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, Pam’s research advances rebellious departures and performances in academic research and
Laura Colucci-Gray
is a professor in Science and Sustainability Education, Internationally known for her pioneering work in the field of participatory, arts-based and transdisciplinary approaches which have been foundational to the field of complex socioenvironmental issues and redefined STEAM education within a Sustainability view. Laura has published extensively across teacher education, school gardens and citizen science; she has led International projects combining emerging technologies and the arts to develop experiential approaches to community-based issues in partnership with industry, citizens’ associations and voluntary organisations. Her work adopts ethnographic and post-qualitative methodologies to engage in pre-figurative practices, departing radically in education from what it is to what it could be.
Carolyn Cooke
is a senior lecturer and staff tutor (Education) at the Open University, UK. Carolyn has a background in music education and teacher education. She is a senior lecturer at the Open University working primarily on the Masters in Education and Professional Doctorate courses. Her current research interests include a range of music education topics, transdisciplinarity, performativity in research, sustainable pedagogies, appreciative inquiry, care in academia and post-humanism.
Eleanor Dare
is a post-doctoral research associate and a former Methods Fellow (2023–2024) at Cambridge Digital Humanities, at the University of Cambridge. She heads up the AI Forensics project and is the co-founder of the consultancy X||rdinary Stories, working with industry and academia to research and develop experiential projects involving emerging technologies. Eleanor is an active critical technologist and artist, developing games, (critical) AI and VR content. Eleanor has dozens of publications on computation, AI, education, games and digital interaction.
Kristóf Fenyvesi
is a senior researcher of STEAM, trans- and multidisciplinary learning and contemporary cultural studies at the Finnish Institute for Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Kristóf conducts many collaborative research projects which include settings in South Africa and India, with eruptive practices which feature in his chapter.
Sandra Gattenhof
is a professor, researcher and practitioner in Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice Faculty at Queensland University of Technology situated on Turrbul and Yugara lands in Meanjin (Brisbane, Australia). Sandra is internationally recognised as expert in the field of arts education, and arts and cultural evaluation. Sandra has authored books, book chapters and journal articles, and is a sought-after speaker. Sandra was chief investigator for the Australian Research Council Linkage Project: The Role of the Creative Arts in Regional Australia (2019–2023), Social Impact Strategy for the Puuya Foundation (2021–2023) and led Valuing the Arts Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand (2020). Sandra is currently lead researcher for Woven Stories: Engaging the Arts as a resource for resilience in rural communities.
Mellie Green
is a lecturer at the Southern Cross University, Australia. She has been a primary school teacher for almost 30 years, with most of those in the classroom and teacher librarianship, and five in curriculum leadership. She completed her PhD in 2022. Her doctoral research explored student engagement in reading for enjoyment in the upper primary years. Her areas of research passion are: the use of children’s literature in the primary classroom, reading instruction, curriculum and pedagogy. She is a literacy and English teaching lecturer with an interest in using high-quality children’s books for literature-based teaching and learning. Mellie is a member of the Departing Radically in Academic Writing (DRAW) group.
Elizabeth Mackinlay
is a professor at the Southern Cross University, Australia. With expertise in Indigenous education, music ethnography and feminist issues, Liz brings an interdisciplinary approach to her research and teaching. Liz has published more than 150 works, significantly advancing the fields of gender, decoloniality and education. Her notable publications include influential works on feminist pedagogy and decolonial methodologies. Her notable publications include influential works on feminist pedagogy, autoethnography, radical academic writing practices and decolonial methodologies.
Trisha McCrae
is an independent artist living in France. She is an installation artist who exhibits in site-specific venues, galleries and festivals.
Ralf Schmid
is a composer, pianist and arranger, and serves as a professor at the University of Music Freiburg, Germany. Ralf represents an innovative generation of genre-defying musicians. He has established a distinctive artistic signature, particularly through his work with prominent big bands, choirs and orchestras in Europe and the US. In his cutting-edge piano project, PYANOOK, he pushes the boundaries of the grand piano by integrating electronically generated soundscapes with data gloves.
Silke Schmid
is a professor of music education and the head of the Institute of Music, University of Education Freiburg, Germany. She has edited several anthologies, including one titled Music teaching in the 21st century: Encounters – insights – visions. Silke is currently exploring the possibilities for societal transformation through the lenses of music education and artistry, with a focus on education for sustainable development (see https://musik-klima.de/en/home/), post-human approaches, post-digital practices and music-related wellbeing.
Jukka Sinnemäki
is a PhD student in the Department of Education at Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria. He also works as a project researcher at the Institute for Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä in Finland. His research interests are student wellbeing and the impacts of creative research and immersive learning environments.
Antonia Symeonidou
is the director of the Academy of Magic & Science, founded in the accelerator of the Judge Business School of Cambridge University. Antonia holds a PhD in bioengineering from the University of Cambridge. Her research bridges the gap between scientific innovation and public understanding through creative outreach and impactful projects. Simultaneously, Antonia heads the Real Economy Fund’s international trade finance operations. Combining expertise in finance and science communication, Antonia, who lives in Greece, brings a multidisciplinary approach to solving complex challenges across industries.
Yuehan Zhao
is a postdoctoral researcher, educator and author who holds a PhD in Education from the University of Cambridge. Her research interests encompass