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The Belfast School of Art has established the most mature Art and Design research environment on the Island of Ireland, which REF2021 recognises as 100% internationally excellent (joint 1st within the UK). Ulster's focus on practice and applied research holds deep register in this subject area, with 100% of Art and Design research impact being rated as world leading and internationally excellent. Art and Design submitted the 2nd highest percentage of 4* star outputs of any unit within Ulster University and ranks in the top 20 for 4* outputs of any Art and Design submission in the UK. Independent assessment places Art and Design at Ulster in the upper percentiles of over 80 UK institutions for grade point average score, quality index and proportion of staff submitted.

We reside in a state of the art building in Belfast city centre, located in the Cathedral Quarter, an area that is known for its vibrancy, where the University plays a central role in the creative and cultural life of the city. The PhD community at Belfast is a vibrant one. Their PhD research space is in the heart of the research hub for the School and within the wider Art & design community of Undergraduate and Postgraduate students.

Our PhD researchers have their own peer reviewed, in-house Journal Publication called Intersections as a print and digital edition. It nurtures interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge sharing across the Faculty of Arts Humanities & Social Sciences, which is the home of nine different Research Units. We enjoy strong relationships with the cultural sector and industry for example Collaborative agreements with the Ulster Museum, long standing engagements with national galleries, collaborative PhD’s with NI Pain Forum, and a key stakeholder in the AHRC funded Creative Cluster, called Future Screen NI and Studio Ulster, a Belfast City Regional Deal pillar project. These specialist centres bring together industry and academic research across animation, film & broadcast, games, and immersive technology and virtual production. We have access to the excellent facilities across the Belfast School of Art course subjects which includes a new facility for Screen broadcast and immersive technology.