Emma McDowell, Centre for Cultural Value

Emma McDowell works as a Post-Doctoral Research Assistant at the Centre for Cultural Value, where they synthesise and summarises relevant research and helps to make it as accessible as possible to the cultural sector. Their current work includes a review of the lifelong value of cultural engagement and the development of a digital evaluation resource platform funded by the Esmée Fairbairn.

In 2022, Emma completed their PhD ‘From transaction to enaction: reframing theatre marketing’ exploring the processes of participatory sense-making in marketing and theatre-making. They are a LAHRI Fellow, have expertise in research design, qualitative and participatory co-research and their recently published ‘Mixing Methods in Audience Research Practice’ was shortlisted for TaPRA’s 2023 ECR Prize. Emma is also social media editor for policy journal Cultural Trends, and Co-Chair of Leeds-based theatre company Red Ladder.