Dr Cressida Bowyer
Associate Professor in Arts and Sustainability
Faculty of Science & Health, School of the Environment, Geography & Geosciences
Faculty of Creative & Cultural Industries, School of Creative Technologies
Email: [email protected]
I joined the University of Portsmouth in 2016 as a Research Fellow in Enterprise and Innovation. I was promoted to Senior Research Fellow in 2017 and became Deputy Director of Revolution Plastics in 2021. I am now an Associate Professor in Arts and Sustainability and Deputy Director of the Revolution Plastics Institute at the University of Portsmouth.
A biological scientist by training and having previously worked in the arts, the primary purpose of my research is to address global problems such as air quality, lung health, and plastic pollution using transdisciplinary and participatory methodologies.
I have worked on numerous international projects using arts-based methods, such as music, digital storytelling, puppetry, and visual arts, to engage communities and find solutions to global issues in line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
I play a central role in developing global partnerships for the Revolution Plastics Institute, including with NGOs, civil society, community organisations, governments, industry, and academia.
My core interests are action research and creative, participatory methods to address global health and sustainability issues such as plastic waste and air pollution.
Key to tackling global issues, in my opinion, is to build teams and deliver projects that involve a wide range of stakeholders. To this end, I am interested in exploring how we can use community and participatory arts-based methodologies to ensure all voices are heard. Creative methodologies help to explore and document lived experiences, disrupt silos, overcome language barriers, break down hierarchies, and reveal unexpected findings.