Dr Sarita Malik

Dr Sarita Malik is a Lecturer in Media and Communications in the Department of Sociology and Communications at Brunel University. She previously worked for the BBC as a Researcher, and later as an Arts Programmer specialising in Asian Arts, a research bid writer and Research Fellow on a large ESRC project exploring public understandings of regulation. Her doctoral research, based at the British Film Institute, analysed the history of Black and Asian representation on British television and was supervised by the renowned sociologist, Stuart Hall. Sarita’s academic research is focused on how social processes and systems operate in relation to ideology and inequalities, with a particular focus on the relationship between the media and cultural representation. Current projects examine cultural diversity and public service broadcasting, reality TV and discourses of equality, and black and Asian British cinema. She is also working on helping the British Film Institute develop its Diversity policies through related research. She has been the Principal Investigator on two Arts and Humanities Research Council
Connected Communities projects looking at the relationship between communities and screen culture. The first project, Diasporic Film in Communities (2012), in partnership with the British Film Institute, was a scoping study of the relationship between Diasporic screen culture, stakeholders and communities. The ‘Community filmmaking and cultural diversity’ follow-up grant turns the focus to debates around community filmmaking in cultural diverse contexts.
Connected Communities projects looking at the relationship between communities and screen culture. The first project, Diasporic Film in Communities (2012), in partnership with the British Film Institute, was a scoping study of the relationship between Diasporic screen culture, stakeholders and communities. The ‘Community filmmaking and cultural diversity’ follow-up grant turns the focus to debates around community filmmaking in cultural diverse contexts.
dr caroline chapain

Dr Caroline Chapain is a lecturer at the Business School, University of Birmingham. Previously, Caroline studied and worked in France and in Canada. From 2002 to 2005, she worked as a research advisor on public finance, economic development, and cultural issues for the Montreal Metropolitan Planning Organization. Since 2005, she has been looking at the way creative industries emerge, operate and develop at the local and regional levels in the UK and in Europe. She was part of ACRE, a FP6 project which aimed to assess the impact of the emerging 'creative class' and the rise of the 'creative industries' on the competitiveness of EU metropolitan regions. She was involved in a project looking at the links between creative clusters and regional innovation in Great Britain for NESTA (the British national agency for innovation). In the last two years she has been involved in various projects exploring the links between creative practices and online media as well as the development of creative systems for the Arts and Humanities Research Council Connected Communities Programme in the UK: one looking at 'Crafting communities of practice and
interest: connecting "online" and "offline" making practices', one looking at ‘Complexity theory and the creative economy’ and a large project looking at 'Community, Media and Creative citizenship’; this latest project is running
until 2014. Caroline co-chairs with Roberta Comunian and Nick Clifton the Regional Studies Association Network on Creative Regions in Europe (www.creative-regions.eu)
interest: connecting "online" and "offline" making practices', one looking at ‘Complexity theory and the creative economy’ and a large project looking at 'Community, Media and Creative citizenship’; this latest project is running
until 2014. Caroline co-chairs with Roberta Comunian and Nick Clifton the Regional Studies Association Network on Creative Regions in Europe (www.creative-regions.eu)
Dr Roberta comunian

Dr. Roberta Comunian is Lecturer in Cultural and Creative Industries at the Department for Culture, Media and Creative Industries at King's College London. She previously worked at the University of Kent and at the University of Southampton. She holds a European Doctorate title in Network Economy and Knowledge Management. She is interested in: relationship between public and private investments in the arts, art and cultural regeneration projects, cultural and creative industries, creativity and competitiveness. She has been Marie Curie Fellow at University of Newcastle (Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies) investigating the relationship between creative industries, cultural policy and public supported art institutions. She has also undertaken research on knowledge transfer and creative industries within an AHRC Impact Fellowship award at the University of Leeds. She is currently researching the role of higher education in the creative economy and has recently explored in various papers the career opportunities and patterns of creative graduates in UK
ASSOCIATE RESEARCHERS
The project is supported by two associate researchers, funded by external funds, Dr Patricia Romeiro, based at the University of Birmingham and Clive Nwonka based at Brunel University.