University of the Arts London staff research profiles homepage

Dr

Sophie Frost

Course Leader MA Creative Leadership

Central Saint Martins

  • Course Leader MA Creative Leadership
    Central Saint Martins

BIO

Sophie Frost is a researcher, educator, and consultant working across the arts, museum, and heritage sectors. Her work explores how digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and changing forms of labour are reshaping cultural organisations, with a particular focus on leadership, workforce wellbeing, sustainability, and organisational change. Through her research and professional practice, she seeks to support more equitable, resilient, and people-centred approaches to digital transformation and adoption.

 

Sophie's research is grounded in collaboration with cultural organisations, policymakers, and creative practitioners. She is currently a British Academy Innovation Fellow, working with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on digital innovation and economic growth across the UK's cultural and creative sectors. She has held research positions at the University of Leicester, King's College London, and the University of Nottingham, contributing to major projects on digital leadership, workforce development, cultural policy, and regional cultural strategy. Her publications explore digital labour, emotional labour, artificial intelligence, and organisational culture. She is the author of the forthcoming book Museums and Digital Labour: A Hidden Constellation (Routledge, 2027).

 

Alongside her research, Sophie is committed to developing critically informed and practice-based approaches to teaching. She is Course Lead for MA Creative Leadership (Online) at UAL and previously taught Creative Leadership at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA). Her teaching encourages students to engage with contemporary challenges facing leadership in the cultural and creative industries and beyond, from technological change and ethical responsibility to questions of inclusion, wellbeing, and sustainable practice. Drawing on extensive experience across academia and industry, she supports students to connect critical thinking with real-world application.

 

Knowledge exchange sits at the heart of Sophie's work. She has collaborated with organisations including the Smithsonian Institution, Culture24 (now The Audience Agency), Ars Electronica, and local government partners, translating research into practical frameworks, leadership programmes, and sector-wide conversations. Through consultancy, public speaking, podcasts, and professional development initiatives, she works to bridge academic research and professional practice. Her concept of "digital courage" has become an influential framework for understanding how individuals and organisations can build confidence, agency, and adaptability in increasingly digital environments.

 

Before moving into academia, Sophie worked extensively in cultural production and event management for organisations including the Southbank Centre, Art Night, the BFI, and Freelands Foundation. This experience continues to shape her research, teaching, and engagement activities, grounding her work in the realities of cultural practice and the evolving future of work in the cultural and creative economy.

 

UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS LONDON APPOINTMENTS

  • Course Lead - MA Creative Leadership
    University of the Arts London, Creative Enterprise, Central Saint Martins, London, United Kingdom2 Mar 2026 - present

ACADEMIC POSITIONS

  • Lecturer - Creative Leadership
    University for the Creative Arts, Business School for the Creative Industries, Epsom, United Kingdom2023 - 2026
  • Honorary Research Fellow
    University of Leicester, Institute for Digital Culture, Leicester, United Kingdom2023 - present
  • Research Associate - Visioning a Creative and Cultural County
    University of Nottingham, Culture, Media, and Visual Studies, Nottingham, United Kingdom2023 - 2023
  • Research Associate - One by One: Modelling new digital leadership in museums
    University of Leicester, School of Museum Studies, Leicester, United Kingdom2021 - 2022
  • Research Associate - One by One: Structuring Museums to Deliver New Digital Experiences
    University of Leicester, School of Museum Studies, Leicester, United Kingdom2020 - 2020
  • Digital Fellow - One by One: Building the Digital Literacies of UK Museums
    University of Leicester, School of Museum Studies, Leicester, United Kingdom2019 - 2020
  • AHRC Creative Economy Engagement Fellow
    University of Leicester, Cultural and Media Economies Institute (CAMEo), Leicester, United Kingdom2018 - 2019
  • Postdoctoral Project Research Fellow
    King's College London, Culture, Media, and Creative Industries, London, United Kingdom2017 - 2017

DEGREES

  • PhD - Visual Culture
    University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom5 Sep 2011 - 31 Mar 2016
  • MA - Contemporary Art Theory
    Goldsmiths University of London, London, United Kingdom8 Sep 2008 - 7 Sep 2009
  • BA Joint Honours Art History and English Literature (International)
    University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom6 Sep 2004 - 30 Jun 2008
  • BTEC Diploma Foundation Studies Art and Design
    Kingston University, London, United Kingdom8 Sep 2003 - 28 Jun 2004

POSTGRADUATE TRAINING

  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
    University for the Creative Arts, Epsom, United Kingdom1 Jan 2024 - 3 Jun 2024

STAFF/STUDENT

  • Staff