Dr Sophie Frost

Biography

Sophie Frost is a researcher, educator, and consultant working across the arts, museum, and heritage sectors. Her work explores how digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and changing forms of labour are reshaping cultural organisations, with a particular focus on leadership, workforce wellbeing, sustainability, and organisational change. Through her research and professional practice, she seeks to support more equitable, resilient, and people-centred approaches to digital transformation and adoption.

Sophie's research is grounded in collaboration with cultural organisations, policymakers, and creative practitioners. She is currently a British Academy Innovation Fellow, working with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on digital innovation and economic growth across the UK's cultural and creative sectors. She has held research positions at the University of Leicester, King's College London, and the University of Nottingham, contributing to major projects on digital leadership, workforce development, cultural policy, and regional cultural strategy. Her publications explore digital labour, emotional labour, artificial intelligence, and organisational culture. She is the author of the forthcoming book Museums and Digital Labour: A Hidden Constellation (Routledge, 2027).

Alongside her research, Sophie is committed to developing critically informed and practice-based approaches to teaching. She is Course Lead for MA Creative Leadership (Online) at UAL and previously taught Creative Leadership at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA). Her teaching encourages students to engage with contemporary challenges facing leadership in the cultural and creative industries and beyond, from technological change and ethical responsibility to questions of inclusion, wellbeing, and sustainable practice. Drawing on extensive experience across academia and industry, she supports students to connect critical thinking with real-world application.

Knowledge exchange sits at the heart of Sophie's work. She has collaborated with organisations including the Smithsonian Institution, Culture24 (now The Audience Agency), Ars Electronica, and local government partners, translating research into practical frameworks, leadership programmes, and sector-wide conversations. Through consultancy, public speaking, podcasts, and professional development initiatives, she works to bridge academic research and professional practice. Her concept of "digital courage" has become an influential framework for understanding how individuals and organisations can build confidence, agency, and adaptability in increasingly digital environments.

Before moving into academia, Sophie worked extensively in cultural production and event management for organisations including the Southbank Centre, Art Night, the BFI, and Freelands Foundation. This experience continues to shape her research, teaching, and engagement activities, grounding her work in the realities of cultural practice and the evolving future of work in the cultural and creative economy.