Members of staff

Dr Simon Barber

Research Fellow

Dr Simon Barber researches, writes and lectures about popular music, the music industries, digital culture and jazz. As a member of the Birmingham Centre for Media and Cultural Research, Simon is particularly interested in the study of songwriting, and relationships between creative workers and industry. He convenes the...

Dr Sam Coley

Associate Professor, College Academic Lead for Distance & Transnational Education Course Leader MA Media Production

Sam Coley is the College Academic Lead for Distance and Transnational Education at the Birmingham College of English and Media. He is also Award Leader for the MA Media Production and teaches a range of undergraduate and postgraduate audio production modules. Coley is a member of the Birmingham Centre for Media and Cultural...

Dr Asya Draganova

Lecturer in Media and Communication

Dr Asya Draganova is a Lecturer in Media and Popular Music Culture and a researcher co-leading the Popular Music Research Cluster based at the Birmingham Centre for Media and Cultural Research . Asya is the Course Director for MA Media and Cultural Studies and teaches across all MA programmes at the School of Media within the...

William Ellis

Visiting Research Fellow

William Ellis is a Visiting Research Fellow in Photographing Popular Music Culture. He is a professional photographer of international renown specialising in popular music photography, and a key contributor to the Global Reggae Research Project at BCU. William’s work has been extensively exhibited, most recently in Edinburgh...

Professor Nicholas Gebhardt

Professor of Jazz and Popular Music Studies, Director of Birmingham Centre for Media and Cultural Research

Nick Gebhardt is Professor of Jazz and Popular Music Studies and Director of Research in the Birmingham School of Media. His work focuses on jazz and popular music in American culture and his publications include Going For Jazz: Musical Practices and American Ideology (Chicago), Vaudeville Melodies: Popular Musicians and...

Dr Matt Grimes

Course Director BA (Hons) Music Business; Senior Lecturer in Music Industries and Radio

Dr Matt Grimes is the course director for the BA (Hons) Music Business course and a Senior Lecturer in Music Industries and Radio, with over 15 years experience in higher education. In 2020, he received his PhD exploring ageing and identity in British anarcho-punks. Matt’s published research and research interests include...

Dr Les Johnson

Visiting Research Fellow and Convenor of Black Popular Culture Research Group

Dr Les Johnson gained his PhD from Birmingham City University for his research in black popular culture, new media and design. He uses new media design processes and practice to explore and archive black music phenomena developing new research with colleagues for example in: jazz, reggae, hip-hop, blues, gospel, new forms and...

Professor Tim Wall

Professor of Radio and Popular Music Studies

Tim Wall is Professor of Radio and Popular Music Studies in the Birmingham Centre for Media and Cultural Research. His work focuses on popular music cultures and their mediation and history, notably those around jazz, soul and reggae. He has published extensively in international journals and books, and he applies his insights...