Paul Dolan

Paul Dolan is an Assistant Professor in the Design Arts and Creative Industries at Northumbria University. He holds a PhD in Arts (2019) and a PGCE in Teaching & Learning (2004). His research critically examines the environmental and ontological impacts of digital technologies, focusing on computer simulations, data centers, and the material costs of digital production. He is part of the Cultural Negotiation of Science research group and the Cosmotechnics artists collective.

Key research themes include the environmental footprint of virtual culture, the ontology of computer simulations, and the temporal dimensions of digital media. His projects often blend practice-based art with theoretical inquiry, such as The Cloud in the Sea (2020), which explored underwater data centers, and Upstream Image (2022), examining geothermal-powered data centers in Iceland. Recent collaborations include a commissioned project addressing energy use in the River Tyne region.

• PhD supervision focuses on media infrastructure, AI ethics, and geopolitical implications of GPUs
• Fieldwork includes studying data center heat recycling in Amsterdam and Paris
• Exhibitions: Cosmotechnics (Preston), Post Territory Seoul, Photographer's Gallery London

He challenges dominant technological narratives through Deleuzian assemblage theory and Yuk Hui's cosmotechnics framework to advocate for sustainable, equitable technological futures.