Professor Louis Nixon to become Dean of Research and Knowledge Exchange

Professor Nixon, an artist and academic who has worked in Art and Design education for more than 30 years, will lead the University’s engagement with industry and build its reputation as a centre for world class research in creative arts and technologies.

He joins Norwich from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) where he has worked since 2018 as Director of the Academy of Visual Arts, focusing on research development, initiating a new PhD programme and a Research and Knowledge Exchange strategy. At the Academy of Visual Arts, Professor Nixon was Co-convenor of the Augmented Creativity Lab, and a Governor of the Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre.

Welcoming the appointment, Vice-Chancellor Professor Simon Ofield-Kerr said: “Louis brings an international perspective and a track record of strategic development in research and knowledge exchange. This is a key appointment for Norwich and signals our ambition for the future of the University.”

Professor Nixon studied painting at Chelsea School of Art and completed postgraduate studies in sculpture at the Slade School of Fine Art. His fine art practice encompasses painting, sculpture, installation, and experimental film, often presented as multi-media installations in galleries and public spaces. In 1990 he founded the collective Space Explorations and, as artist, director, and curator, participated in large-scale interventions in response to specific sites including the Greenwich Royal Observatory and Hoxton Power Station. Since 2001 Nixon has worked independently and exhibited widely in the UK and internationally including solo exhibitions in London, Hong Kong, and Italy.

His latest research culminating in a solo show and film screening in Hong Kong, looks at the problem of space debris, exploring matter and gravity through sculpture and film. He is also a Co-PI on a major international theme-based research grant exploring the role technology and in particular AI can play in the visual arts.

In 2006 Nixon was appointed Head of the School of Fine Art at Kingston University, where he led the strategic development of the school until 2014, when he was appointed Associate Dean for Research at Kingston School of Art.  In 2017 he led the formation of the Kingston School of Art Research Institute before joining HKBU in 2018.

Throughout his career as both artist and academic, Nixon has worked in close partnership with the museums and galleries sector, local authorities and government departments and external stakeholders internationally.