Energised by our location in a thriving and historically significant area of London's docklands, our researchers in art and design are internationally renowned practitioners and theorists who are committed to both engagement with local communities and fostering relationships beyond the academy. Supported by a dedicated technical team and with access to state-of-the-art technologies, our artists and designers produce work in sculpture and installation, painting, film, video and animation that are exhibited globally, as well as critical and historical studies which engage with art as a social practice. Our flagship Professional Doctorate in Fine Art offers students the opportunity to develop their professional practice in a vibrant environment, supported by world-leading artists and thinkers. We foster a culture of debate and critique in which established researchers and doctoral candidates come together to collaborate on diverse and exciting projects which push the boundaries of what art can be.

Whilst shaped by our East London locality, our research engages globally across the 21st century industrialised cityscapes and managed landscapes. As impact drives our research, we operate on the basis that traditional boundaries between disciplines are wholly transparent because genuinely sustainable outcomes require the integration of social, environmental and resource-based actions to re-define environment, place and living space, maximising social return on research investment within the context of a climate emergency. The strength of our research comes from the fact that we work through partnerships across disciplines both within UEL (environmental science, materials science, architecture, landscape, social science, engineering, fine and performing arts) and beyond.