Dr Hailey Austin

Lecturer

Faculty Faculty of Design, Informatics and Business

Department Department of Games and Arts

Biography

I am currently Lecturer of Visual Media and Culture with a particular interest in comics, videogames and the international creative industries. I lead on the delivery of teaching DES401 on Creative and Cultural Industries and teach on the ART101 module which enables students to apply comics design principles to game art. 

I completed my undergraduate degree in 2016 at Creighton University with a double major in English and Spanish and a minor in History. I then received a Master's of Literature in Comics and Graphic Novels from the University of Dundee in 2017, followed by a PhD in English in 2021. The title of my PhD thesis is 'The Anthropomorphic Body as Genre: Comics and Fetish'. 

In 2021, I accepted a research position on Abertay University's InGame International project as the Research and Development Fellow in Transnational Creative Industries. This project had a special focus on the challenges and opportunities for games being made between China and the UK. In April 2022, I received funding from the SGSAH and SFC Saltire Early Career Researcher Scheme to travel to Stockholm, Sweden and study their creative industries. In January 2023, I transitioned to a lectureship role in Abertay's School of Design and Informatics. I am currently a Co-Investigator in the InGAME International Project which wraps up in January 2024.

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Current Teaching

  • Module Lead DES 401 - Creative and Cultural Industries
  • Module Tutor ART 101 - Illustration and Communication

Former Teaching 

  • Guest Lectures in DES201 - Narrative Design
  • Film Noir
  • Film Genres
  • English Literature
  • Comics

Interests

  • Comics and Graphic Novels
  • zines and (fan)zines
  • videogames and boardgames
  • feminism
  • women in games
  • diversity
  • creative outputs
  • anthropomorphism
  • representation 
  • media
  • culture

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More Information

Funding

I have received small grants totalling £10k from a number of funders including the AHRC, SFC, SGSAH, SCCS, and CURAS.

creative Information

I have created comics for each chapter of my PhD thesis as creative outputs of research. I have also created educational comics for film noir courses and public information comics on Dundee's Archives and Museums as well as partnering with local charities and schools to create comics. 

I have written comics scripts for DC Thomson titles such as Commando, Oor Wullie and Wee Harry. 

Esteem

In 2022, I was awarded the People's Choice Award for Public Engagment at the Scottish Funding Council's Team Saltire Awards. 

In 2017, I was awarded the Grant Morrison Prize for Comics Studies. 

Meet the rest of the team

Mr Martin Lynagh

Mr Martin Lynagh

Department of Games and Arts | Lecturer

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Dr Darshana Jayemanne

Dr Darshana Jayemanne

Department of Games and Arts | Reader in Digital Cultures

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