Julian Lawrence

Julian Lawrence is a Senior Lecturer in Comics, Graphic Novels & Sequential Arts at Teesside University (SACI Art). A bilingual English-French artist and educator, he specializes in comics-based research methodologies, focusing on gesture analysis, authorship theories, and semiotic frameworks. His work bridges art and education through projects like the SSHRC-funded Pedagogical Assemblage and collaborations with institutions such as the National Film Board of Canada and Fantagraphics Books.

Education: Holds a Master's in Secret Identities in the Classroom from the University of British Columbia (2017). External roles include Artist/Educator at The StART Studio UK and ArtStarts in the Classroom. Research emphasizes visual storytelling's role in pedagogy, with recent projects addressing environmental education (NERC-funded green chemistry comics) and community storytelling along the River Tees.

Key contributions include graphic novels like Drippy’s Mama and The Red Drip of Courage, as well as peer-reviewed articles in journals like Sequential Art Narratives in Education. His work has influenced global educational research, notably cited in studies on bullying in Russian schools.

Grants include AHRC funding for child-centric social research and NERC support for environmental comics. Projects like People Powered: Stories from the River Tees (2019-2024) blend documentary film and community art. Lawrence advocates for comics as transformative tools for pluralistic perspective-sharing in education and healthcare.