Dr Nuala Morse

I am a museum studies and creative health scholar, with a background in social geography. 

My research explores how the museum can act as a space of care, health and wellbeing. I am interested in the 'care work' of culture professionals, care ethics in participatory museum practice, and the role of cultural organisations in supporting public health. My monograph, The Museum as a Space of Social Care (Routledge, 2021) explores these related themes. In 2022, I was selected as a Clore Emerging Leader through the AHRC. 

I have published on museum-based interventions for people living with dementia, stroke survivors and mental health service users. I act as a Non-Executive Director for the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance, contributing to national policy discussion on the role of culture in public health. At the University of Leicester, I co-lead the Creative Health Network, and I am a Management Board Member of the Institute for Precision Health.

I also research workforce development and organisational change in museums, with a focus on career progression and the experience of ‘change makers’.

I am currently the Director of Research (Museum Studies) in the School of Heritage and Culture, with particular responsibilities in overseeing preparations for the REF2029 exercise.

My research is collaborative, working closely with culture sector professionals and the health sector.

Recent funded projects include:

Museum object handling for ward-based activities (2024) with Sallie Varnam, UHL NHS Trust. This ongoing project explores museum-based activities and creative health interventions for patients and staff at University Hospitals of Leicester, and has included Outreach funds from the University of Leicester Institute for Precision Health.

Museums, storytelling and recovery work after aphasic stroke: pilot study (2022), funded by University of Leicester Wellcome Trust ISFF Pump-Priming fund. This pilot explored the use of museums objects for storytelling for people living with aphasia, a collaboration with Prof Madeline Cruice, City University.

‘Career Progression and Inequality in the museum workforce’ (2022), funded by University of Leicester College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities Research Development Fund, with Prof Dave O’Brien (University of Manchester), explores career journeys in the museums sector.

'Change-makers in the creative economy: the role of front-line museum professionals in organisational change' (2018-2020) funded by the AHRC Creative Economy Engagement Fellowship and University of Leicester College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities (CSSAH) Research Development Fund. In collaboration with the Museums Association this project explored the reach and impact of the MA’s workforce initiative 'Transformers: Radical Change in Museums'. The report 'Becoming a Change-Maker in Museums' is part of sector-facing conversations around future workforce development and organisational change strategies for the sector.

I previously held a postdoctoral position at the University of Manchester and UCL on a project investigating the health and wellbeing benefits of taking part in museum activities for stroke rehabilitation patients people living with dementia and adult mental health service users in partnership with Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums and Manchester Museums Partnerships.

Books:

Morse N. (2021) The Museum as a Space of Social Care. Routledge

Journals: 

Morse, N., Thomson, L. J., Elsden, E., Rogers, H., & Chatterjee, H. J. (2023). Exploring the potential of creative museum-led activities to support stroke in-patient rehabilitation and wellbeing: A pilot mixed-methods study. Arts & Health, 15(2), 135-152. https://doi.org/10.1080/17533015.2022.2032224

Morse, N. (2021) Care, repair and the social relevance of museums. Museums and Social Issues 15(1-2), pp.28-38. DOI: 10.1080/15596893.2022.2104815

Morse N (2020) Care-ful Cultural Work and Health Inequalities. What Roles for Museums? A UK Perspective. Special issue Museums in the Pandemic: A Survey of Responses on the Current Crisis. Museum Worlds 8(1) pp.111-134. DOI:10.3167/armw.2020.080109

Thomson, L.J, Morse, N., Elsden, E., and Chatterjee, H.J. (2020) 'Art nature and mental health: assessing the biopsychosocial effects of a ‘creative green prescription’ museum programme involving horticulture artmaking and collections.' Perspectives in Public Health https://doi.org/10.1177/1757913920910443

Morse, N., Thomson, L.J., and Chatterjee, H.J. (2020). 'The Role of Co-production Methods in Developing an Observational Tool for Museums in Health Research for People Living With Dementia.' Sage Methods paper .https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781529710632

Morse, N. and McCann, M. 2019. Becoming a Change-Maker in Museums: experiences opportunities and challenges-Reflections on the Museums Association’s Transformers workforce development initiative. Leicester: School of Museum Studies University of Leicester https://dx.doi.org/10.29311/2019.03

Morse N. (2018). Patterns of accountability: an organizational approach to community engagement in museums. museum and society 16 (2) p. 171-186 Morse N. Rex B. and Richardson S. H. (eds) (2018). Special Issue: Methodologies for Researching the Museum as Organization. museum and society 16 (2) p. 112-123

Morse, N. and Munro, E. (2015) ‘Museums’ community engagement schemes austerity and practices of care in two local museum services’. Social and Cultural Geography . http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14649365.2015.1089583 and part of the Special Issue: Placing Care in Times of Austerity

Morse, N., Thomson, L., and Brown, Z. and Chatterjee H.J. (2015) ‘Effects of museum outreach sessions on measures of confidence sociability and wellbeing for mental health and addiction recovery service users’. Arts and Health: An International Journal for Research Policy and Practice 7 (3) p. 231-246. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17533015.2015.1061570

Morse, N., Macpherson, M., and Robinson, S. (2013) ‘Developing dialogue in youth-led exhibitions: between rhetoric intentions and realities.’ Museum Management and Curatorship 28 (1) p. 91-106. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09647775.2012.754632

Book Chapters:

Morse, N., Brown. Z., Mitchell S., Charlton J., Thompson J., Chatterjee H. (2023) Dementia Access in Museums and Galleries. In Russell, C., Gray, K., and Twigg, J. Leisure and Everyday Life with Dementia. OUP

I am interested in supervising students in the following areas:

• Care ethics and care practice in the museum
• The emotional and therapeutic role of museum spaces and objects in well-being health and recovery
• Participatory action research, mixed-methods and organisational studies methodologies in museum studies
• Workforce development and careers in the museum sector
• Theories of change in museums in particular professionals' experiences as 'change-makers'

I teach on the following modules for the campus-based MA/MSc Museum Studies

MU7017 'Engaging Audiences (Module Lead)

MU7020 'Specialisms' (Module Lead for 'Education' specialism)

MU7012 ‘Contemporary Museum Contexts’

She also contributes teaching to the following Distance Learning modules for the MA/MSc Museum Studies:  MU7750 'The Museum and Change', MU7553 'Engaging Audiences', MU7554 'Lifelong Learning',  MU7562 'Ethical Practice: Access Liberation and Organisational Change'

I am an editor for the Science Museums Journal and Museums and Social Issues. I am a member of Association of Critical Heritage Studies and previously held committee positions on the Royal Geographical Society Geographies of Health and Wellbeing Research Group.