New Professors Strengthen Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Manchester Met

The new appointments—Kate Fletcher, Carlo Harvey, Sarah James, Ilpo Koskinen, Susannah Thompson, and Keith Wilson—bring a wealth of expertise across design, digital arts, art history, and sculpture. These appointments align with the University’s ongoing commitment to expanding its professoriate and enhancing interdisciplinary collaboration. The new professors will contribute to Manchester Met’s thriving research culture while supporting students and colleagues in their respective fields.

Professor Robert Ellis

Rob Ellis is a Professor of Modern British History with interests in the histories of mental health, learning disability and institutions. He is currently the Principal Investigator on an AHRC-funded project - Asylum: Refugees and Mental Health, whichfocuses on the wellbeing of Belgian refugees in Great Britain during the First World War. Partners on the project include Alexandra Palace, In Flanders Fields Museum, the London Archive and the Mental Health Museum who will help to bring the research to life and help the project reach a wide range of underserved stakeholders. This builds on Rob’s long track record of impact and engagement activities. He has worked with a wide range of individuals and groups including service users, mental health trusts and charities, museums and heritage professionals, and artists and theatre practitioners. The ‘Bag of Tricks’ resource kit he developed in partnership with New Vic Borderlines was used by the National Trust, NHS  Trusts, and by mental health and learning disability organisations in Japan and it formed the basis of one of two sole authored Impact Case Studies. Rob is a Visiting Research Fellow at the Mental Health Museum and a Trustee at Pennine Heritage, where he was the academic lead on an Innovate UK-funded Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP). His role at Pennine Heritage opens the door for students and staff across MMU to get involved in applied research projects.  

Professor Kate Fletcher

A leading figure in sustainability, design, and fashion systems, Professor Kate Fletcher’s research redefines the relationship between fashion and sustainability. She has authored and edited 13 books, available in eight languages, and was recognised as a visionary by Margaret Atwood in 2022. Fletcher’s work explores systems change, post-growth fashion, fashion localism, and the interaction between design, clothing, and nature. She is also a co-founder of the Union of Concerned Researchers in Fashion.

Professor Carlo Harvey

Professor of Digital Arts, Carlo Harvey specialises in the intersection of technology and creativity. His expertise spans computer graphics, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and game development. Before joining Manchester Met’s School of Digital Arts (SODA), he held leadership roles at Birmingham City University and led research projects in collaboration with West Midlands Police Museum, Jaguar Land Rover, and other major organisations. Harvey’s work has earned prestigious awards, including the TIGA Best Games Research Award (2024) and Innovate UK’s Best of the Best Business Impact and Transformation Award (2023).

Professor Sarah James

An accomplished art historian, writer, and curator, Sarah James was previously Senior Curator at Tate Liverpool, where she led the 2022 Turner Prize. Her research focuses on contemporary art, photography, and the visual cultures of the Cold War, particularly in Germany. James has authored multiple books and published extensively in the international art press, with contributions to Art Monthly and Frieze. Her work has been recognised by leading academic institutions, including UCL, Oxford, and the Courtauld Institute of Art.

Professor Ilpo Koskinen

Design researcher Ilpo Koskinen joined Manchester Met in early 2025, bringing international experience from Sydney, Hong Kong, and Helsinki. His research examines human interaction with technology, objects, and nature. His most recent book, Design, Empathy, Interpretation, was published by MIT Press in 2023, highlighting his expertise in design research and methodology.

Professor Susannah Thompson

Professor of Fine Art, Susannah Thompson, has held key research, teaching and leadership roles at The Glasgow School of Art and Edinburgh College of Art. Her research explores the history, theory, and practice of art criticism, with a particular focus on feminist approaches to contemporary British art. She has recently worked on projects related to 19th-century sculptor Edmonia Lewis, Scots-Ghanaian artist Maud Sulter, and painter Joan Eardley.

Professor Keith Wilson

Professor of Sculpture, Keith Wilson brings expertise in three-dimensional form and materiality. Previously part of the leadership team at Sheffield Hallam University’s ADMRC research group, he has also served as Executive Director of the Center for the Humanities at City University of New York’s Graduate Center. Wilson’s research interrogates the public functioning of sculpture, with work that encourages viewer engagement and interpretative resistance. In New York, he collaborated with Wellcome’s International Collaborations team to deliver experimental transdisciplinary programming as part of the Contagious Cities and Mindscapes projects.

Martyn Evans, Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Arts & Humanities at Manchester Met expressed enthusiasm for the new appointments: 

“The Faculty of Arts and Humanities has ambitious plans to grow its research over the next few years. An important element of this strategy is to increase the number of professors in our areas of research strength, and I’m delighted that we have been joined by some outstanding research leaders in their fields. I look forward to working with them over the coming months.”

These appointments reinforce Manchester Met’s standing as a centre of innovation and research excellence, ensuring that its Faculty of Arts and Humanities remains at the forefront of academic and creative inquiry.