College of Arts, Humanities and Education staff

Robin Sims
Dr Robin Sims
Programme leader specialising in critical theory and postmodernism.

Programme Leader

Kiran Singh
Postgraduate Research Student

Kiran's PhD research project is a comparative study of the Panjabi translations of Shakespeare’s plays. Her focus is post-colonialism, decolonisation, partition literature, and feminism.

Barend Slabbert
Barend Slabbert
Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader Interior Design

Barend Slabbert is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) Interior Design Programme. He has taught both in Cape Town and London before joining the University of Derby in 2017. He specialises in exhibition and conference set-stage design, and is interested in the responsive adaptation of significant historical interiors to contemporary exhibition spaces.

Katie Smith
Technical Advisor

As a Technical Advisor within Arts, Humanities & Education, Katie provides technical advice and support to students for digital design and printing. With extensive industry experience as a professional graphic designer, she offers real-world advice and best practice in the area of digital design and technology.

Mark Smith
Lecturer in Media Production & Media Studies

Mark Smith is a lecturer in Media Production and Media Studies.

Julie Somers
Senior Partnership Development Manager/Senior Lecturer

A Senior Lecturer and Partnership Development Manager in Primary Education, Julie Somers teaches across the ITE programmes and manages the placement aspects of these programmes, working closely with local primary schools to ensure high quality placement for students.

Ryan wearing sunglasses standing by a lake.
Ryan Spencer
Postgraduate research student

Ryan is a postgraduate research student whose work is focused on warlike cultures and warrior traditions and how they can affect and shape the world-building process as it relates to Space Western short stories. 

Barry Squires
Senior Lecturer in Media and Arts

Barry is a Senior Lecturer in Media and Arts (Film Production & Commercial Photography).

Tom Staunton teaching a tutorial
Tom Staunton
Lecturer in Career Development

Tom is a Lecturer in Career Development at the International Centre for Guidance Studies. Tom mainly teaches on the MA Careers Education and Coaching at the University and research interests focus on the way the internet, especially social media is changing the field of careers development.

John Steel
Professor John Steel
Research Professor in Journalism

John is Research Professor in Journalism and his role is to support research activities across the School and wider university. He has interests in a variety of research areas including journalism ethics and regulation, political communication, media history and journalism education.