PERSONAL STATEMENT
I am an enthusiastic artist, researcher, and lecturer, passionate about human potential, diversity, and making a positive impact in the world. My background in Fine Arts enables me to appreciate diverse creative practices that inspire my interdisciplinary approach to Animation. Research on inclusivity through the arts has shaped my values of respect, compassion, and ethical commitment in Higher Education. I enjoy engaging with continuous development through research and self-reflection to evoke insight and sustainable transformation.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: LEADERSHIP
I currently work as Senior Lecturer in Animation at Sheffield Hallam University, where I have been course leader since 2019. Course leadership has allowed me to develop a wide range of interpersonal skills. I have worked with different groups and teams across the University to lead curriculum changes and improve the quality of student experience. An evidence of the positive impact of my role is the increase of NSS (National Student Survey) results from 50% in 2018 to 88% in 2023.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
I have taught Animation modules for seven years across all levels in the UK. My present post is that of Senior Lecturer in Animation at Sheffield Hallam University. This post has enabled me to specialise in teaching digital 2D animation (Toon Boom Harmony), life drawing (human anatomy), character design, and scene design (Adobe Suit Software) and 2D Experimental Animation (MA Animation).
RESEARCH INTERESTS
A/r/tography, arts-based research, Animation Practice as Research, Autoethnoanimation, Animated Documentaries. You can read more about my research interest in the Researcher section.
STUDENTS’ WORK
You can find below the BA Animation course showreel and appreciate the broad range of ways in which students are encouraged and supported to develop their unique original projects.
You can also find a selection of 2D Animation projects that I have had the privilege to supervise at Sheffield Hallam:
V.Pire (2022), by Talia Chippendale
Birds of a Feather (2021), by Emily Watson
One Drop (2002), by Simon Williamson
BIOGRAPHY
Photo when I was 18 years old with the Alhambra in the background, Granada, Spain.
I was born and raised in sunny Southern Spain (1982), in a warm-hearted, open, expressive culture. As a child, I loved drawing, making up stories, and interacting with nature and animals. My grandparents were very humble people, and there was no professional background in the arts within the family. Even though I was bullied at school because I loved learning and I was a bit nurdy, I never lost my passion for natural sciences, arts, and languages.
A health crisis made me drop off high-school for a year when I was 17. Spending a lot of time by myself allowed me to re-discover the love for drawing and painting. I chose to study a Fine Arts degree at University driven by a deep curiosity about what makes us human.
Photo when I was a child in Málaga, Spain.
Photo in a life drawing class, Granada, Spain, 2002
The economic crisis of 2008-2016 changed the employability landscape. There were very few opportunities in the field of Art and Education in Southern Spain. I had the fortune to get into a National University Lecturer’s Training Programme that included completing doctorate studies. When I finished the programme in 2014, I could only get part-time jobs or jobs paid by hours, and there was very little hope to find professional stability. In 2016, I decided to migrate to the UK to develop my career interests in Animation. I worked at Glyndwr University in Wrexham, Wales, for three years, and in 2019 I decided to move to Sheffield to work at Sheffield Hallam University.
Photo during an open day at Sheffield Hallam University in October 2023. From left to right: Senior Lecturer in Animation Melvyn Ternan, student ambassadors and graduates Liv Berry and Aileen Maskery, and myself
Marta Madrid Manrique 