Dr Claire Sowton
Research Engagement and Impact Manager (RKEI)
- Moray House School of Education and Sport
- University of Edinburgh
Contact details
- Email: claire.sowton@ed.ac.uk
Address
- Street
-
Moray House School of Education and Sport, SJ 4.13
- City
- University of Edinburgh (Holyrood Campus)
- Post code
- EH8 8AQ
Availability
Mon (AM), Tues-Thur
Background
I joined Moray House School of Education and Sport in 2009 with an ESRC funded studentship (MSc + PhD) informed by a professional background planning, delivering and evaluating publicly funded projects. Following a teaching fellowship and my postdoctoral research, I have developed my career in research management and support for knowledge exchange and impact. I have a particular interest in the role of data visualisation in demonstrating impact.
In 2022-2023, I was funded by Creative Informatics (University of Edinburgh) through their resident entrepreneur programme to develop a data-driven design tool - seemingly the first of its kind globally in the quilt industry. Alongside my role as Research Engagement and Impact Manager, I use this experience to reflect on the relationships between research, impact and practice, and to explore technology-mediated meaning making in the creative industries.
I am an Advance HE Fellow and continue to supervise MSc students, undertake consultancy (arts engagement and evaluation) and project management.
In 2022, I completed the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) Engage Academy and Advance HE's Aurora leadership development initiative for women.
Email: claire.sowton@ed.ac.uk
Qualifications
PgCert Academic Practice, 2019
PhD, University of Edinburgh, 2014
MSc, University of Edinburgh, 2010
MBA (Cultural Management), Queen Margaret University, 2007
MA (Sociology), University of Aberdeen, 1999
Responsibilities & affiliations
Advance HE Fellow
Aurora, 2022
NCCPE Engage Academy, 2022
Postgraduate teaching
I have taught on a range of courses since 2014 as Teaching Fellow and as part of the MSc Education and MSc Educational Research programmes of study.
Areas of interest for supervision
MSc Education, MSc Educational Research, MSc Digital Education
Past PhD students supervised
I have supervised postgraduate students focused on a range of subjects including transformative learning, arts and dance education, peer learning, mobile learning.
Research summary
digital cultural heritage and arts engagement, digital and data education, transformative learning, knowledge exchange and evaluation