Laura Trafi-Prats

Dr. Laura Trafi-Prats is a Reader at the School of Education (CYES) at Manchester Metropolitan University, specializing in education, youth studies, and arts-based methodologies. Her research explores how youth engage with digital technologies, urban spaces, and cultural institutions through collaborative ethnographies and posthumanist frameworks. She leads projects funded by UKRI and ESRC, including studies on smart school environments and spatial practices. Her work prioritizes creative dissemination through exhibitions, video, and alternative publications.

Her expertise spans art in education, critical digital literacy, and affect theory. She collaborates with artists and cultural organizations to empower youth in addressing societal challenges. Notable outputs include the co-edited book Visual Participatory Arts-Based Research in the City (2022) and contributions to ESRC-funded spatial research. She mentors doctoral students focusing on urban space, art-nature curricula, and interdisciplinary methodologies.

Recent grants include the ESRC-funded 'Mapping Spatial Practices and Social Distancing in Smart Schools' (2021-2022) and a project on Black spatial exploration in Tallahassee (2020-2021). Her teaching emphasizes postgraduate theory and research design, fostering critical engagement with digital and sensory methodologies.