David Girling

David Girling is an Associate Professor at the University of East Anglia's School of Global Development (DEV), where he serves as Director of Postgraduate Admissions, Director of Employability, and Study Abroad Academic Coordinator. A Chartered Marketer with over 25 years of public and non-profit sector experience, he is based in Room 1.20 of the ZICER Building at Norwich Research Park.

His research centers on ethical storytelling, humanitarian communication, and social media for development, with specialized expertise in visual communication, strategic marketing, and digital media. Girling critically examines 'poverty porn' and deliberate positivism in NGO campaigns, exploring alternative paradigms like dystopian fairy-tale landscapes and Afrofuturism through collaborations with artists and charities. His work emphasizes subject agency in narrative creation, particularly in African contexts.

Recent publications (2024) reveal a cohesive trend: rigorous analysis of how charities represent marginalized communities through advertising and artistic partnerships. The WaterAid chapter and UK charity advertising report demonstrate his focus on shifting power dynamics in storytelling, with empirical testing showing participant-led approaches challenge traditional humanitarian communication models.

No scientific awards were documented in the provided text.

Girling secures internal university funding for projects including the PVC Impact Fund study on charity advertising impacts (2020-2021), GCRF research on narrative ownership (2019-2021), and a WaterAid YouTube channel audit (2015). As Course Director for the MSc Global Development Manager, he advises students across modules like Humanitarian Communication and Media Production for Development.

His work thrives on partnerships with WaterAid, Amref Health Africa, Dubai Cares, and researchers Jess Crombie, Deborah Adesina, and Sarah Horton—forming a network dedicated to ethical representation through artistic and digital innovation in global development.