Dr Nic Dickson

Dr Nic Dickson (she/her) is a Research Fellow and Community Embedded Researcher with the C4 Project at the University of Stirling. Nic is a social researcher, educator and artist with a particular interest in how visual and creative methods can be used for knowledge exchange with seldom-heard communities.

Nic joins the University of Stirling as a Community Embedded Researcher on the C4 Project (https://c4.ac.uk). This UK-wide programme, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), brings together communities and researchers through a “Community Catapult” model. The aim is to co-create practical solutions to social challenges by making sure community voices shape research and innovation.

Nic completed a PhD in Education at the University of Glasgow in 2023. Her academic background spans social research, health and the arts, with an M.Sc. in Marketing from the University of Strathclyde and an M.Phil. in Medical Education from Queen’s University Belfast. Before returning to academia in 2016 to undertake a part-time PhD, Nic worked for over 15 years as a social researcher in the private and public sectors, developing expertise in qualitative research with ‘hard-to-reach’ groups.

Nic’s role as a Community Embedded Researcher with the C4 Project builds on a strong foundation of participatory and arts-based research. Her previous projects at the University of Glasgow, exploring health inequalities and domestic abuse through creative methodologies, culminated in innovative outputs such as the comic book Pathways to Hope, which translated research on substance abuse and recovery into accessible visual narratives. These experiences have shaped her commitment to embedding research within communities and ensuring that knowledge exchange is inclusive, creative, and impactful.

Nic is the founder of Visual Inquiry, producing creative content for academic and third-sector audiences, including live visual note-taking and arts-based dissemination tools.

Other Academic Activities

· Co-Chair of SCUTREA (Standing Committee on University Teaching and Research in the Education of Adults)

I explore theoretical frameworks that draw on critically reflexive, creative, and feminist research methodologies. My doctoral research examined the experiences of homeless young women who were survivors of sexual abuse. Together, we reimagined their identities as adult learners, artists, and research participants. In this work, I reflected on my dual role as educator and artist, developing arts-based methods to engage adult learners meaningfully and amplify voices often excluded from policy and practice.

Through active participation in adult education conferences, I have built an international profile as a feminist adult educator and arts-based researcher, collaborating with scholars across the UK, Europe, and Canada. I have been invited to conferences focusing on homelessness, substance use, and recovery, based on my work producing the comic book Pathways to Hope, which translated research findings into accessible visual narratives. My research spans health inequalities, domestic abuse and justice pathways, and creative knowledge exchange with marginalised communities.

Teaching Overview My teaching experience spans community-based adult education and formal higher education.

Community-Based Adult Education From 2021 to 2024, I worked as an artist-researcher and facilitator with SAY Women, a charity supporting women who have experienced childhood sexual abuse and homelessness. I designed and delivered creative, participatory sessions that used storytelling and arts-based approaches to support learning and empowerment. While I am now in a full-time role at the University of Stirling, I maintain strong links with the organisation and continue to collaborate informally.

Formal Education During my PhD at the University of Glasgow, I delivered guest lectures and worked as a GTA for undergraduate and master’s courses, leading on topics including innovative research methodologies and the ethical and practical considerations of working with so-called ‘vulnerable adults.’ As a guest lecturer I contributed to courses such as: Contemporary Research Theory and Methods in Social and Pedagogical Contexts Reframing Language, Literature and Literacies for the 21st Century Qualitative Methods Impact of Alcohol and Substance Use on Children and Families

As a Graduate Teaching Assistant, I supported master’s programmes in the Department of Education, assisting with design, delivery, and assessment. Earlier in my career, I worked as a GTA at Queen’s University Belfast, delivering tutorials and lectures on bio-psycho-social models of behaviour to medical students.