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Overview
Affiliations
AffiliationTelephone
Associate Professor in the School of Education+44 (0) 191 33 40165
DRMC Co-Director (MA in Research Methods) in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Health
Co-Director (MA in Research Methods) in the Durham Research Methods Centre

Biography

Cristina's work is focused on the intersections of digital experiences and societal phenomena, with implications for education in its broadest sense, through different social theory lenses. She is currently working on a series of empirical and conceptual projects focused on critical explorations of digital well-being, Gen-AI in Education, and theory as a method.

Present funded projects include:

  • 2025: Durham policy research fellow with Durham Council. This role will explore conceptions and the intersections of digital safety and well-being. Funded by ESRC IAA. Principal investigator.
  • 2025: Digital influence and masculinity: The impacts of digital environments on vulnerable young men's wellbeing and empowerment. Collaboration with Gladstone Terrace Centre for Young People. Funded by EPSRC/NorthFutures. Principal investigator.

Recent past funded projects include:

Cristina is currently Co-Director (MA in Research Methods) in the Durham Research Methods Centre and MA Programme Director for the MA in Interdisciplinary Research Methods (2025- )

She coordinated Student Recruitment, Marketing, & Internationalisation for the School (2022-2024); served as Programme Director (student experience) for the Master's in Education programme (2020 - 2022) and Research Environment Co-ordinator within the School of Education (2022). She also coordinated and taught the Sutton Trust and Support Progression Schools for the School of Education (Durham University widening participation programmes) between 2019 and 2021.

She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Information for Prospective Doctoral Research Student Supervisions

I am currently accepting PhD applications that aim to explore the role of digital technology in relation to education related topics. I am particularly interested in supervising studies guided by critical theoretical lenses in the areas of inquiry: Digital Wellbeing, Gen-AI, Critical Pedagogy, and Curriculum Design

Research proposals focusing on such thematics can be sent to cristina.costa[@]durham.ac.uk . 

Research interests

  • Digital Wellbeing
  • Critical Digital Literacies
  • Curriculum Design for Digital Learning
  • Generative Artificial Intelligence
  • Educational and Digital Inequalities
  • Social Theory

Esteem Indicators

  • 2025: CSET 2025 – Critical studies of education and technology meeting in Durham: CSET is short-hand for critical studies of education and technology … CSET2025 is a series of academic meetings being held around world during the same week (February 17th and 21st, week 8 of 2025) on the common theme: ‘Problematising education and digital technology’. Cristina Costa will be leading the local event in Durham on the 21st of February, 2025.
  • 2025: Research in Digital Learning in Higher Education conference, : I am an organising member of the Research in Digital Learning in Higher Education conference, which will be held in Newcastle on 3rd-4th September 2025. The conference aims to provide the Higher Education sector with a space to share and critically discuss evidenced-based research and practice in digital learning. This is key to the work I have been doing on digital education.
  • 2024: Co-Editor International Studies in Sociology of Education: Co-Editor International Studies in Sociology of Education (2024 - )
  • 2013: External Examining: I have been examining Ph.D and Ed.D theses since 2013. To date I have served as an examiner for Ph.D theses in the UK, mainland Europe (Portugal and Spain), Australia, and Brazil.
  • 2010: Peer reviewing: I review for a series of research journals. I am a Editorial Board Member of British Journal of Sociology of EducationTechnology, Pedagogy and Education;The Curriculum JournalInternational Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education (ETHE)

    Editorial Board Member Book Series Social Theory and Methodology in Education Research, Bloomsbury Publishing

    I was a Co-Covenor of the BERA Social Theory and Education SIG (2020 - 2023) and the BSA study group ‘Digital Sociology (2016 - 2021)

  • 2005: Continuing Professional Development (CPD): I have coordinated, designed and delivered CPD activities since 2005 all around Europe. These activities have been focused on 1) the role of digital media in education, 2) the application of digital technologies for education (especially through curriculum imagination), and 3) social media in and for research. While at Durham, I have also offered CPD in research methods and am currently working on a CPD package on Advanced Digital Literacies that will connect university students with the wider community. For bespoke offers of CPD on digital literacies, citizenship and curriculum design, please contact me via email.

Publications

Book review

Chapter in book

Edited book

Journal Article

Newspaper/Magazine Article

Other (Digital/Visual Media)

Report

Supervision students