Laura Gates

Laura Gates is Reader in Theatre and Performance and Research Lead for Performance at Bath Spa University's Bath School of Music and Performing Arts. She brings expertise in participatory research methods, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and pedagogical design to her innovative work at the intersection of performance and technology.

Her primary research interests focus on puppetry and material performance, with particular attention to agency, the uncanny, and human-technology interaction. She explores how object performance fosters connection across social, political, and cultural boundaries through her Objects Without Borders research project, collaborating with partners in the UK, Jordan, and the Czech Republic. Her work bridges artistic practice with academic research, particularly examining puppetry's potential in medical humanities and disability representation.

Her publications span numerous high-impact journals and edited collections, with recent work examining Japanese ghost stories, medical history through puppetry, and disability representation. Her research demonstrates a consistent trajectory toward increasingly interdisciplinary work that connects performance practice with technological innovation, social justice concerns, and cross-cultural understanding.

• UKRI Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) funding recipient
• Selected for SpinOutWest and Innovation Discovery 2025
• Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy
• REF2021 recognition for world-leading impact
• Former member of AHRC Peer Review College (2017-21)

As Research Lead for Performance, Gates has developed innovative pedagogical practices and secured significant grant funding for her work. Her current AI-integrated feedback platform demonstrates her commitment to applying performance research in practical, impactful ways. She has served on the steering group of the AHRC international research network Objects with Objectives: Applied Theatre and Puppetry, showing her leadership in establishing collaborative research frameworks across institutional boundaries.

Gates leads the Objects Without Borders research project investigating how object performance fosters connection across social, political, and cultural boundaries. Her work with the feedback and impact platform integrating AI represents a cutting-edge application of performance research methodology to solve practical challenges in participant engagement and feedback collection. Her collaborative approach is evident in her partnerships across multiple countries and disciplines.