Dr Julia Johnson

Julia is a Senior Lecturer in Photography and AHESS Faculty Chair for the research ethics panel. She completed her PhD research with the University of the Arts London, London College of Communication, and collaborated with the National Health Service in pursuit of her enquiries.

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See Julia's Photo Participatory Courses at NHS Recovery College East

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Background

Julia is a Senior Lecturer in Photography and an arts and healthcare research-professional who designs arts-based products that support ethical research and treatment in public services including the NHS. As part of her AHRC-funded research-based PhD outcomes, she developed a toolkit for ethical practice in collaboration with the NHS. She is currently developing a commercial healthcare tool for research and treatment to support public health services. In the past, Julia assumed the role of member of the Health Research Authority Research Ethics Committee for the NHS. She has also worked in a consultancy role for London College of Communication, University of the Arts London.

Julia has conducted several research studies in her role as Principal Investigator with the NHS and in other public health settings. In 2017-2018, she worked with the NHS leading two studies that examined the efficacy of therapeutic photography to support people accessing NHS mental health services. She has secured funding for these research studies through the National Health service, London Doctoral Design Centre, University of the Arts London and the Research and Innovation Department at ARU.

Julia’s lead roles in designing courses and modules at Cambridge School of Art include BA Photography, cross-school contextual studies provisions and a new MA in Arts, Health and Wellbeing.

Julia's background as a photographer has informed her inclusive approach to health care and the manner in which she collaborates with participants in research studies: as a photographer she worked with diverse marginalised communities including: Eastern European migrant workers, Refugee communities based in the Calais "Jungle"’, Slovakian Roma communities and members of the UK soldiering community who have experienced homelessness or entered the criminal justice system in the aftermath of war. In 2012, she delivered a participatory photography programme to Cambridgeshire's Gypsy and Traveller youth community. At the time, the programme aimed to provide the community with the tools to produce their own self-representation as a response to the media’s stereotypical portrayal of this notoriously private community. Julia continues to facilitate photography workshops in a participative manner as part of research studies and has worked with a range of public health services in this context, including an NHS recovery college. Her research into arts and healthcare led to the development of ARU's MA Art, Health and Wellbeing course. Julia has also worked as a commercial freelance photographer.

Research interests

• Mental health
• Participatory methodologies
• Health care practices
• Visual research methods
• Phototherapy and therapeutic photography
• Marginalised communities
• Human rights

With funding from London Doctoral Design Centre, Julia led on the research generative Designing Participation: Current Approaches and Future Directions conference at the Royal Society of Arts in London in 2017. The conference included a cross section of professionals from the participatory arts community who engaged in a series of workshops. These activities generated significant research that culminated in a final report published by London Doctoral Design Centre. The event was a follow-up on the Arts Council England’s (ACE) last report objectives to respond on adult participatory arts.

Research work with public health services

• 2019 & 2020: Researcher with CGL Cambridge.
• 2019: Researcher with Lifecraft, Cambridge.
• 2017-2018: PI with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation trust (use of interpretive phenomenological analysis and photo-elicitation methods to data collect and analyse study).

Other research-informed work

• 2023-2024: Mentor and committee member for Cambridge University PGR Pathology researchers and Cambridge School of Art MA alumni during the Sensory Science project and exhibition. Research informed outputs for reports and journal articles.
• 07/2015-07/2016: Project Lead for Entrepreneurship: A Serious Game. Erasmus+, European Commission funded project.

Curating of community participatory photography programmes associated with research

• 2020: Change Grow Live (CGL) online photography exhibition (during Pandemic), Cambridge
• 2019: Change Grow Live (CGL) and Lifecraft photography exhibition, Cambridge
• 2018: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust photography exhibition, Peterborough
• 2017: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust photography exhibition, Cambridge
• 2011: Ormiston Children and Families Trust photography exhibition, Cambridge

Involvement in other participatory art exhibitions

• 2024: Sensory Science, University of Cambridge art exhibition

Areas of research supervision

• Participatory photography methodologies
• Visual research methods
• Co-design and evaluation
• Community based participatory research and the arts
• Commercialising your research outputs

Teaching

Julia currently leads on the module:

• Working in the Creative Industries (across two schools and several BA courses at level 5)

Julia currently teaches on the following modules:

• Research Project (level 6)
• Contemporary Issues and Debates (level 5)

Qualifications

• PhD Research Degree
• MA Photojournalism and Documentary Photography
• Certificate of Higher Education
• BA (Hons) Photography and Digital Media

Memberships, editorial boards

• Higher Education Academy Fellow

Faculty/ ARU Member

• Ethics and Research Integrity Committee (ERIC)
• Faculty Research Integrity Group (FRIG)
• Performance, Arts, Health and Wellbeing forum
• AI Working Group
• Close to Research Professional Development (CrPDP), with School of Education

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

Research funding and awards

• 2019 & 2017: London Doctoral Design Centre
• 2016: London Doctoral Design Centre Scholarship. Arts and Humanities Research Council
• 2016: ‘Head to Toe’ Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust CPFT, NHS Charity Fund
• 2011: Ormiston Children and Families Trust

Selected recent publications

Journal publications

2025: Participatory Photography as a Therapeutic Practice: a Contextual Review and Case Study published by the Oxford Academic (Community Development Journal)

2025: The Self-photograph. The Value of Participant-led Visual Research Methods in Mental Health Settings. Journal of Arts and Communities (Intellect Books): accepted with amendments

Journals papers in process:

2025: The value of participatory photography as a therapeutic approach to qualitative research. To be submitted to Journal of Applied Arts & Health

2025: Codesign paper with Monash University

Photography articles

2024: The five best non-fiction books of 2024 – according to our experts. The Conversation.

2024: Calling the Shots: A Queer History of Photography is a Vibrant Look Back in Time. The Conversation.

Book/research publications and contributions

2025: Julia writes the ‘Town Meets Gown’ column for Velvet Magazine

2021 Contributing foreword to Spitfire Ace of Aces. The Album. The Photographs of Johnnie Johnson by Dilip Sarka MBE. Published by Air World, Spring 2021

2019 Arriving: Objects and Discovery project and storybook (collaborative research project with StoryLab research – Julia Johnson's photography work included). StoryLab research, Anglia Ruskin University

2017 Designing Participation: Current Approaches and Future Directions report. Published by LDoc. Accessible through The British Library and ARRO

Recent presentations and conferences

2023: Beyond Boundaries, Faculty of Arts, Humanities, Education & Social Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University.

2020: Interpretative phenomenological analysis and photovoice methods in participatory therapeutic contexts. Participatory Inquiry Forum, Anglia Ruskin University.

2020: Photovoice and Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis methodologies, employed in mental health contexts. Post-Graduate Research Forum, Anglia Ruskin University.

2019: Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis study presentation. Tavistock Clinic, London.

2019: Creative Transformations – research generative workshop and seminar. University of the Arts London, London College of Communication.

2017: Culture, Health and Wellbeing conference, Arts and Health South West, Bristol.

2017: Designing Participation: Current Approaches and Future Directions – a research-generative conference. Research and project lead. Organising and delivering conference at The Royal Society of Arts, London.

2016: Culture and Community. Photography Research Seminar, Faculty of Arts, Humanities, Education & Social Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University.

Julia’s Photography exhibitions

2019: Storytelling in the 4th Industrial Revolution Exhibition. Arriving: Objects and Discovery, Storylab

2015: The Secret Garden Party. Mill Hill Field, Abbots Ripton.

2014: Media and Myth - Fifty years since Tonkin. Hundred Years Gallery, London.

2014: Where We Stand. London College of Communication.

2012-2011: Portrait Salon. Roxy Bar & Screen, London; Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool: Portrait Salon

2011: Westminster University, University of Cambridge.

2011: Winter Warmer. Art Works, Cambridge.

2011: Journeys 2. Pitt Building, Cambridge.

2010: Journeys. Art Cell Gallery at Cancer Research UK, Cambridge.

2004: Artist in Residence Exhibition. Hills Road Sixth Form Cambridge.

2004: Demolition. KIC Art, Cambridge.

2003: Gawp and Gasp. Candid Arts Trust, London.

2002: Cheese. Kettles Yard, Cambridge.

2001: Blue. The Millenary Works, London.

Media experience

2024: Cambridge University sensory-science art for people with sight loss: BBC News; British Society of Immunology; Liston Lab.

2024: Sensory Science Report. University of Cambridge, Department of Biochemistry.

2014: BBC News in Pictures. BBC News.

2012: Interview with Julia Johnson, British Photographer. Arts Media Agency.

2012: Gypsy wedding 'stereotype' challenged by traveller photos. BBC News.