Associate lecturers

I am an educator with twenty years experience teaching ages ranging from kindergarten to octogenarians, and creative subjects ranging from Video Editing to Sound and Audio. For the past five years I’ve worked at ELATT Sixth Form College in Hackney, where I teach Creative Media, act as the Internal Quality Assurer and am the Coordinator for the Personal Social Development Programme.

Alongside this I have worked in the same period as a professional musician, and am deeply enmeshed in the South East London grassroots music scene in particular. I am increasingly interested in bringing these two strands of my work together and enjoy the opportunity to do this at Goldsmiths.

Insub is a researcher whose interests centre on, but extend beyond, the relationship between culture, cities and society. He holds a PhD in Culture and Creative Industries from City St George’s, University of London, and has worked across academic research, teaching and cultural policy, including at the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute.

His current work explores urban regeneration, creative cities and cultural placemaking, alongside wider questions of everyday multiculturalism in urban contexts. He also contributes to commissioned research on urban and social policy, working with researchers and practitioners across culture, architecture and urban planning.

Maria is an Associate Lecturer in Creative Industries and Cultural Entrepreneurship. She is a political economist with a background in Economics, History and Sociology; her research focuses on the social reproduction of the middle classes and paid domestic labour. She has also participated in collaborative research projects on economics pedagogy and gendered imbalances in the discipline.  

Maria has also produced many grassroots and academic events and projects in Greece and the UK. They are currently the Events coordinator for the Feminist Library, and work on Podcasts and Projects for the Sociological Review Foundation. Maria is a stream coordinator for the Marxist-Feminist and Cultural strands of Historical Materialism Athens and a member of the Women’s History Network steering committee.

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6045-1653

Rod Fisher has extensive experience as a researcher, consultant and lecturer on comparative cultural policy, cultural relations, cultural management training and the policy of European institutions in the cultural sector. He has conducted research, consultancy, lectured and chaired/moderated conferences in 33 countries worldwide. He has particular expertise on the cultures and policies of Europe and Asia.

For many year he worked for the Arts Council of Great Britain (initially as Information Officer and later as International Affairs Manager), as well as local authorities, where he programmed and administered arts and leisure services, festivals and venues. Subsequently, he established and directed his own consultancy, International Intelligence on Culture (formerly International Arts Bureau), delivering projects and services for institutions in the UK and overseas.  For example, in the mid 1990s he chaired the European Task Force on Culture & Development that produced the seminal report In from the Margins for the Council of Europe.

Today he chooses to work selectively, focusing on lecturing, and the occasional research project.

Academic qualifications

• BA History (Sussex) 1965.

Teaching

• Visiting/Associate Lecturer at Goldsmiths on the MA in Arts Administration & Cultural Policy (since 2002) and a contributor to the MA in Cultural Policy, Relations and Diplomacy.
• Visiting Lecturer at City University, London, running a module on Cultural Policy in Europe (subsequently International Cultural Co-operation and Policy) 1984-2007.
• Visiting Lecturer at Jagellonian University Summer School, Krakow, 1991-1995.
• Visiting Lecturer at Birkbeck, London, and in Lisbon, Bangkok, Barcelona etc at various times.

Professional Experience

Includes:

• Director European Cultural Foundation UK 2002-2012.
• Member, Orientation Board, Fondation Marcel Hicter, Brussels, 1991-2007.
• Member, UK Advisory Committee, Japan Foundation, 2005-2007
• Co-founder, Cultural Information Research Centres, Research in Europe (CIRCLE) network (Chairman 1985-1994).

Featured Work

•  Independent expert, Preparatory Action on Culture in European Union External Relations for Goethe-institut, Brussels, commissioned by the European Parliament,
•  2013-2014.
•  Co Chair, Final Conference in Beijing of the EU Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2012.
•  Training in Transnational Cultural Cooperation Projects: Reflections and Challenges to Validation & Certification (with Karpodini-Dimitriadi, Dr E) for EU, published  by Marcel Hictor Foundation, Brussels, 2007.
•  From Policy to Practise & Potential: A Cultural Dimension to the EU's External Relations, (ed), Boekmanstichting, Amsterdam , 2007
•  Developing New Instruments to Meet Cultural Policy Challenges, (ed) report on international cultural policy seminar, Bangkok, Asia-Europe Foundation &  Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, 2005.
•  Hong Kong Arts & Cultural Indicators (with Mercer, C), research project for Hong Kong Arts Development Council, 2004-2005.

Serena Gossain, Associate Lecturer and Module Leader, teaches luxury branding as part of the MA Luxury Brand Management at Goldsmiths. Serena is a creative professional with over 25 years of experience in design, branding, and advertising. She has an MA in Visual Communications from Central Saint Martins, a PGCHE and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Serena’s industry background in advertising and design agencies, gives her an insightful and critical understanding of brand perception and strategically targeted communications. Serena also works as a creative consultant/freelance art director.

• Marketing
• Consumer Behaviour
• Qualitative Social Research (e.g., Interviews, Netnography, and Diary Studies).
• Quantitative Social Research
• Human-computer Interaction
• Artificial Intelligence Companions
• Social Interactions
• Consumer Emotions
• Technology Adaptation

Publications and research output 

Al Azmeh, S.G., 2019. The relationship between e-learning service and student satisfaction: a case study at the Syrian Virtual University (SVU). Business, Management and Education, 17(1), pp.49-71. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3846/bme.2019.7451

Conference papers

Al Azmeh, S., Doern, R., Van den Bossche, A., and Campana, M. 2026. Consumers and their Relationship with AI Social Companions: A Study on Novice Replika Users, American Marketing Association, Madrid, Spain, February 13-15 (online).

Al Azmeh, S., Doern, R., Van den Bossche, A. and Campana, M. 2025. Triggers of Consumer Emotions During Interactions with AI Social Companions
Track: Marketing and Retail, British Academy of Management, Kent, Sept 1-5.

Al Azmeh, S., Doern, R., Van den Bossche, A. and Campana, M. 2025. Consumers and their Relationship with AI Social Companions: A Study on Novice Replika Users, Consumer Culture Theory, London, June 24-27.

Academic honors, awards and grants 

2023: I received a 2000 pound research grant to conduct my data collection from Goldsmiths University of London from the Institute of Management Studies (IMS).

2020: I received the Faculty Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement from The University of Winchester.